CHALLENGES TO MINIATURIZATION IN MICRO EDM

摘要

In electrical discharge machining (EDM), the process force is negligibly small and removal occurs regardless of workpiece material hardness because EDM is a thermal process. For this reason, EDM processes are widely used for the micro-machining of fuel injection nozzles, spinneret holes for synthetic fibers, electronics and optical devices, and micro-tools for the mass-production of these parts. However, the minimum machinable size is no smaller than several micrometers. This paper discusses some reasons for the limit of miniaturization in EDM and introduces the latest technologies for reducing the minimum size obtainable by EDM.