Micro milling cutters or micro mills are unique and important micro tools for fabricating miniaturised devices with sufficient geometrical and dimensional accuracy and machined surface integrity. Micro milling cutters, compared to conventional macro tools, have significantly different material removal mechanisms. They are also made of different raw materials and structures and exhibit distinctive machining characteristics and performances. Herein, we present the first comprehensive and up-to-date review of micro milling cutters in terms of their uniqueness, material removal mechanisms, materials and compositions, structures and design, fabrication techniques and machining performances, to provide adequate guidance for interested involvers. We also outline and discuss several possible future research directions to offer potential insights for the micro milling community and future researchers.

微型铣刀或微型铣刀是用于制造具有足够的几何和尺寸精度以及机械加工表面完整性的微型设备的独特且重要的微型工具。与传统的宏工具相比，微型铣刀具有明显不同的材料去除机制。它们也由不同的原材料和结构制成，并展现出独特的加工特性和性能。在此，我们将就微型铣刀的独特性，材料去除机理，材料和成分，结构与设计，制造技术和加工性能等方面，对微型铣刀进行首次全面的最新综述，以便为感兴趣的参与者提供适当的指导。