High-precision machining in the shipbuilding industry. Applicability and advantages of electro discharge machining technology

摘要

This research shows the applicability and advantages of the electro discharge machining (EDM) technique in the shipbuilding industry. This process allows the machining of high strength materials, such as some of the steels used in the naval sector for key parts of the ship's structure. Likewise, this technique obtains high-precision surface finishes and highly complex geometries, which are of great interest in pieces destined for waterproofing, such as hull passages or watertight doors, or components that require a complex geometry such as those destined for lubrication systems in bearings and the stern tube. In this work the results obtained in the laboratory will be presented, as well as a numerical model that allows the simulation of the process and its optimisation under different material and surface finishing conditions. The conclusions reached in this work have been oriented to the application of this advanced machining process to the shipbuilding industry.