Magnetic field-assisted finishing processes: from bibliometric analysis to future trends

The need for ultraprecision finishing has grown, and magnetic field-assisted finishing has shown potential for overcoming some challenges. This study evaluates the scientific production and identifies future directions of magnetic field-assisted finishing based on a bibliometric analysis. Using Bibliometrix, network mapping and descriptive analysis were performed on 1558 documents related to magnetic field-assisted finishing-related research published over the past 51 years. The results of the comprehensive literature reviewed showed that the theme exhibits a rising trend of 56% in the last 10 years, being mainly conducted by Chinese, Indian, and American researchers. Different geometries and materials can be finished and which had surface roughness ranges from sub-nanometer- to micrometer-scale. Surface finishing of freeform dies and molds, optical components, and medical devices have been standing out as current process applications in tooling, aerospace, and biomedical industries. AISI 304 stainless steel was the most tested metal. Finally, potential areas of research were identified in the coming years, which could lead to new fields of application for magnetic field-assisted finishing in industry.