ELECTROCHEMICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING USING MICRO-DRILLING TOOLS

摘要

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is a promising technology for micromachining electrically insulating materials such as glass, quartz and some ceramics. Micro-hole drilling using electrochemical discharge effect has been practiced in MicroElectroMechanical systems and micro-fluidic systems. However, machining speed and hole quality need improvement to meet industrial manufacturing requirements. In the present work, ECDM gravity-feed drilling using micro-drills is presented. The hybrid machining combines mechanical micro-drilling with ECDM to improve both the material removal rate and machining accuracy. The micro-drilling tool can provide additional material removal by generating chips. The machining performances of ECDM drilling with stationary cylindrical tools, rotational cylindrical tools, and rotational micro-drills are compared in terms of machining depth and radial overcut. Tool rotation rate, a key parameter for this hybrid process, is experimentally studied. Material removal mechanism of ECDM using micro-drills is