ABRASIVE, MAGNETIC FIELD AND ULTRASONIC VIBRATION ASSISTED MICRO-AMP FOR ELECTRO CHEMICAL MACHINING

摘要

EDM, ECM, ECDM and WEDM is a unique machining method capable of removing material in the sub-grain size range (mm to urn) from materials irrespective of their hardness. This process is valuable in the manufacturing of miniaturized products where industry demand for increasingly hard materials has reached the limitations of conventional micromachining techniques. However, the current Material Removal Rates (MRR) for EDM, ECM, ECDM and WEDM range from 0.6-6.0 mm3 /h, which is far below the desired minimum level of 10-15 mm3 /h required for industrial viability. Many techniques have been previously developed to close this gap; however, they have all either fallen short of the industry goal or have been developed for specific materials, limiting widespread industrial use. This research seeks to develop a technique for improving MRR in EDM, ECM, ECDM and WEDM that can be applied to any materials with the help of assistive technologies such as abrasive, ultrasonic vibration and magnetic field.