Micro-electrical discharge machining is an evolution of conventional EDM used for fabricating three-dimensional complex micro-components and microstructure with high precision capabilities. However, due to the stochastic nature of the process, it has not been fully understood. This paper proposes an analytical model based on electro-thermal theory to estimate the geometrical dimensions of micro-crater. The model incorporates voltage, current and pulse-on-time during material removal to predict the temperature distribution on the workpiece as a result of single discharges in micro-EDM. It is assumed that the entire superheated area is ejected from the workpiece surface while only a small fraction of the molten area is expelled. For verification purposes, single discharge experiments using RC pulse generator are performed with pure tungsten as the electrode and AISI 4140 alloy steel as the workpiece. For the pulse-on-time range up to 1000 ns, the experimental and theoretical results are found to be in close agreement with average volume approximation errors of 2.7% and 6.6% for the anode and cathode, respectively.
The effects of using powder additives suspended in dielectric on crater characteristics for micro electrical discharge machining (PSD micro-EDM) are investigated through the conduct of single RC discharge experiments at low discharge energies of 2.5 µJ, 5 µJ and 25 µJ. Through the introduction of additive particles into the dielectric, results of the single discharge experiments show the formation of craters with smaller diameters and depths, and having more consistent circular shapes than those produced in dielectric without additive. These craters also possess a noticeable morphological difference compared to those generated in dielectric without additive. In addition, discharge current measurements show a smaller amount of charges flowing between the tool electrode and workpiece, and at a slower flow rate when additives are present in the dielectric. Furthermore, based on the experimental results and findings from studies done in nanofluids, a hypothesis is made on the effects of powder suspended dielectric on the crater formation mechanism. The increased viscosity and enhanced thermal conductivity of a powder suspended dielectric lower the plasma heat flux into the electrode and raise the rate of heat dissipation away from the molten cavity. As a result, a smaller-sized crater having a larger amount of resolidified material within the crater cavity is formed.
A new pulse discriminating technique for monitoring microelectrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) process in real time is proposed. The proposed system employs current pulse as the main detecting parameter as it is considered to be a better representation of the spark energy inside plasma channel as compared to the voltage. Micro-EDM pulses are classified into normal discharge, delayed discharge, arcing, and short circuit.The developed system was tested on micro-EDM drilling and micro-EDM milling, and the pulse distributions throughout these processes were analyzed. The developed pulse discriminator (PD) system is further used in the development of an adaptive speed servo system in micro-EDM. Experiment results show that the system is able to improve the machining time by more than 50%, and the accuracy of the resulting features is increased.
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