Special Features of the Non-Conventional Cutting (ECM, EDM) of Wool-Like Material Structures

Abstract

The non-conventional cutting of electrically conductive materials using WEDM and WECM and their hybrid processes is already standard in manufacturing technology. This is essentially based on homogeneous or layered materials. In the future, cellular, wool-like, or similarly structured materials will play a greater role and will be more important; especially the cutting in conjunction with homogeneous materials. In the study, experiments were carried out with a standard WEDM system and a WECM test system. In preliminary tests, various EC machine structures with different flushing and cutting directions have been tested, and because of the static wire arrangement, adjustments to a maximum working current have been tried out. Various feed speeds have been implemented for the test series and the influence of the wool structure on the regulation of the short circuits in the working gap has been analyzed. A modified equivalent circuit diagram has been created from the special features of the processing. The process regulation must be adapted to the special conditions of the spontaneous working gap reduction and thus the higher number of soft short circuits. The study should primarily show where the deviations of the WEDM and WECM from wool structures are; which changes have to be made, especially for process regulation. Secondarily, it was determined which cutting structures arise and whether the partial discharges have a marginal effect on the cutting result in both processes.