Electro-chemical spark machining–based hybrid machining processes: Research trends and opportunities

Abstract

Shaping of the difficult-to-machine non-conductive materials such as glass, quartz and ceramic is much difficult and uneconomical by existing machining processes. As a result, wide applicabilities of these materials are still limited. Even though these materials are highly required in the field of the modern industries. To overcome the problem, a new machining method has been proposed by researchers by combining the features of electro-chemical machining and electro-discharge machining. Such combined machining process is called as electro-chemical spark machining process. Such developed machining method becomes an appropriate process for machining of non-conductive materials with significant improvement in productivity as compared to the electro-discharge machining and electro-chemical machining processes. In this article, the role of electro-chemical spark machining for machining of the non-conductive materials has been summarized and focused on the future research possibilities in the same area. This article also focuses on mechanism, process and performance parameters, variants and new developments related to the electro-chemical spark machining. As a result, this review article becomes beneficial for researchers to understand the phenomena of the electro-chemical spark machining process as well as further development in the same area.

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“…21 ECM is widely used in industries to form cavities in forged die; to make intricate profiles, such as turbine wheels, turbine jet blades, and thin-walled components; and to drill holes with large aspect ratios and complicated shapes. 22,23 Today's industry scenario requires a greater production rate, enhanced quality of products, a decrease in production costs, and a curtailing of environmental impacts. Controlling delamination and radial overcutting in ECM are tedious tasks.…”