Electrolytic machining, deburring and polishing involve selective removal of surface metal from a work-piece by conversion of the metal to its ions resulting from the flow of an electric current. This is one of the applications of electrochemistry discovered by Michael Faraday in the early 1800s. The principle of electrochemical decomposition was not employed as a manufacturing process until the mid-1900s. The most notable early application was machining of advanced aerospace materials. Since then, there have been many new applications and process innovations that have lead to broad implementation of the technology. Intrinsic process benefits, such as very fast removal rates, stress-free results, complex geometry machining, and non-consumed tooling have added to the popularity of electrolytic machining. This paper will include four aspects of this technology: selective burr removal and edge machining, surface finishing improvement, volumetric machining, and electrolytic rifling.
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