The micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) process has been proved to be appropriate for making 3D micro parts that are difficult and even impossible to manufacture by other processes. In this paper a high precision tabletop CNC wire electrical discharge machine (wire-EDM) designed specifically for machining complex shaped micro parts or structures is developed. In the machine developed, a novel micro wire-cutting mechanism is designed, an approach to control wire tension by magnetic force is proposed and a servo feed control strategy, in accordance with the measured gap voltage, is designed and implemented. To verify the functions and capabilities of the machine developed, several thick micro outer and internal spur gears and a rack are machined. It shows that the taper angle along the wall or cavity of a part that appears when other micro-EDM processes are applied can be avoided. A very good dimensional accuracy of 1 µm and a surface finish of R max equal to 0.64 µm are achieved. The satisfactory cutting of a miniature 3D pagoda with a micro-hooked structure also reveals that the machine developed is versatile, and can be used as a new tool for making intricate micro parts.

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A large number of micro holes are needed for biomedical parts, ink-jet nozzles and micro droplet spraying parts. In this study, an inexpensive machining approach for producing a batch of micro holes is proposed. A set of previously introduced w-EDM mechanisms is employed to horizontally cut the batch micro electrodes precisely. Through the process arrangement, the micro electrodes and workpiece are not unloaded, repositioned and re-corrected until all the tasks are completed. The micro workpiece is clamped onto the specially designed jig and moved above the micro electrodes to perform machining of the mass micro holes by upward batch micro EDM. The entire procedure is carried out on a developed multifunctional tabletop CNC machine tool. An array of 400 through holes of the identical sizes is successfully fabricated on a stainless-steel plate with a thickness of 30 µm by using the modified peck-drilling method. Experimental results confirmed that the proposed approach could accelerate the removal of debris, reduce the occurrence of abnormal discharges and decrease the machining time.

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In this paper, a machining technique to fabricate high aspect ratio microstructure arrays of a total volume less than 1 mm3 is developed. A method for determining the appropriate tension of the micro brass wire of the micro wire-EDM mechanism designed in our previous study is proposed, and a design for suppressing the vibration of the wire is implemented. In addition, a machining approach coined ‘reverse wire-EDM’ is developed. The micro wire-EDM mechanism is mounted on the worktable rather than on the machine head while the micro workpiece is clamped on the spindle instead of the worktable by a micro chuck. Machining is carried out by a horizontal moving micro brass wire of 20 µm diameter located beneath the micro workpiece to accelerate the removal of debris and to eliminate the heat accumulated in the micro gap during machining. The possible occurrence of short circuit discharge and thermal deformation of the machined part are therefore minimized. Experiments are conducted to machine various high aspect ratio miniature structures including a microstructure array of ten 10 µm sharp-edge lamellae at the tip, a microstructure array of ten 10 µm uniform thickness lamellae and a microstructure array of ten by ten 21 µm squared pillars. It is found that a microstructure array of an aspect ratio more than 33 is satisfactorily and precisely fabricated. The dimensional accuracy and geometric accuracy are less than 0.6 and 1.0 µm, respectively, while the surface roughness Rmax is kept within 0.44 µm.

This work is a follow-up study based on previous research. The study presents a novel approach for effective production of mass micro holes. Initially, a set of micro w-EDM mechanisms is designed and mounted on the developed precise tabletop CNC machine tool to fabricate the micro electrode array. The tension of the micro wire is precisely controlled by a magnetic force. Furthermore, micro vibrations of the wire during discharging are effectively suppressed by the developed vibration suppression system. To fabricate the mass micro holes, a microstructure array with a high-aspect ratio of 10 × 10 micro squared electrodes, width and height of 21 µm and 700 µm, respectively, for each electrode and 24 µm spacing between two electrodes is fabricated first by using the proposed ‘reverse w-EDM’ machining strategy. The electrodes array is directly utilized to drill the mass micro holes by bath micro EDM on the same machine. An array of 900 through-holes of the same size is successfully fabricated via the modified peck-drilling method on a 30 µm thick stainless-steel plate. A tip at the free end of the micro electrode is designed and fabricated as a circular-pyramid shape. Experimental results verified that the spiky end form eliminates debris adhering to the edges of the micro holes. Analytical results demonstrate satisfactory hole geometric accuracy, dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. Furthermore, mass micro holes can be fabricated efficiently using the proposed technique.

A precision ultrafine w-EDM (wire electrical discharge machining) technique specifically for machining intricate parts and structures is developed in this paper. A thumb-sized and versatile w-EDM device equipped with a complete control system for wire tension (ultrafine tungsten wire of 13 µm diameter) is designed and employed for the study of ultrafine w-EDM. The tension of the wire electrode is controlled by magnetic repulsive force to steady the wire during machining. Ultrafine wire cutting can be conducted in vertical-, horizontal- or slantwise-wire arrangements. Via some experiments, optimal machining conditions including discharge capacitance, feed rate, wire tension and the appropriate design for the w-EDM device are obtained. Two miniature samples including a micro of Taipei's landmark 101 building and a micro relay are fabricated and the feasibility of the proposed approach is verified. It is confirmed that the ultrafine w-EDM technique using an ultrafine tungsten wire of 13 µm was realized successfully.

A novel miniature diamond grinding tool usable for the precise micro-grinding of miniature parts is presented. A hybrid process that combines 'micro-EDM' with 'precision co-deposition' is proposed. The metal substrate is micro-EDMed to a 50 µm diameter and micro diamonds with 0-2 µm grains are 'electroformed' on the substrate surface, producing a miniature multilayered grinding tool. Nickel and diamond act as binders and cutters, respectively. A partition plate with an array of drilled holes is designed to ensure good convection in the electroforming solution. The dispersion of diamond grains and displacement of nickel ions are noticeably improved. A miniature funnel mould enables the diamond grains to converge towards the cathode to increase their deposition probability on the substrate, thereby improving their distribution on the substrate surface. A micro ZrO 2 ceramic ferrule is finely ground by the developed grinding tool and then yields a surface roughness of R a = 0.085 µm. The proposed approach is applied during the final machining process.