Effect of micro-powder suspension and ultrasonic vibration of dielectric fluid in micro-EDM processes—Taguchi approach

Solutions are needed for increasing the material removal rate without degrading surface quality in micro-electrical discharge machining (μ-EDM). This paper presents a new method that consists of suspending micro-MoS₂ powder in dielectric fluid and using ultrasonic vibration during μ-EDM processes. The Taguchi method is adopted to ascertain the optimal process parameters to increase the material removal rate of dielectric fluid containing micro-powder in μ-EDM using a L₁₈ orthogonal array. Pareto analysis of variance is employed to analyze the four machining process parameters: ultrasonic vibration of the dielectric fluid, concentration of micro-powder, tool electrode materials, and workpiece materials. The results show that the introduction of MoS₂ micro-powder in dielectric fluid and using ultrasonic vibration significantly increase the material removal rate and improves surface quality by providing a flat surface free of black carbon spots.     

Study of precision micro-holes in borosilicate glass using micro EDM combined with micro ultrasonic vibration machining

Because of its excellent anodic bonding property and surface integrity, borosilicate glass is usually used as the substrate for micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS). For building the communication interface, micro-holes need to be drilled on this substrate. However, a micro-hole with diameter below 200 μm is difficult to manufacture using traditional machining processes. To solve this problem, a machining method that combines micro electrical-discharge machining (MEDM) and micro ultrasonic vibration machining (MUSM) is proposed herein for producing precise micro-holes with high aspect ratios in borosilicate glass. In the investigations described in this paper, a circular micro-tool was produced using the MEDM process. This tool was then used to drill a hole in glass using the MUSM process. The experiments showed that using appropriate machining parameters; the diameter variations between the entrances and exits (DVEE) could reach a value of about 2 μm in micro-holes with diameters of about 150 μm and depths of 500 μm. DVEE could be improved if an appropriate slurry concentration; ultrasonic amplitude or rotational speed was utilized. In the roundness investigations, the machining tool rotation speed had a close relationship to the degree of micro-hole roundness. Micro-holes with a roundness value of about 2 μm (the max. radius minus the min. radius) could be obtained if the appropriate rotational speed was employed.     

纵扭超声振动电火花加工微小孔仿真研究

超声振动电火花加工是一种高效加工微小孔的新型加工方法,能够提高加工效率与精度。对纵扭超声振动电火花加工微小孔进行研究,建立描述电极丝周围间隙工作液流动特性的数学模型,使用Fluent对数学模型进行验证,同时加入切屑,对间隙工作液运动情况以及排屑情况进行探究。结果表明：在电火花加工时,在电极丝引入纵扭超声振动,流体域有明显的扭转运动,电极丝底部切屑在离心力的作用下,更易从底隙中进入侧隙,随工作液的运动排出孔隙,有效防止底部产生切屑堆积,提高了电火花加工微小孔的精度。     

Al2O3陶瓷超声磨削的微观机理分析

对Al2O3陶瓷的超声磨削在微观机理上进行了初步探究，并根据实验数据分析了不同加工条件对加工表面质量的影响，对超声和机械磨削加工效果也进行了对比。实验表明超声应用于加工Al2O3陶瓷有助于改善表面加工质量，因此，也可用于加工类似的高硬脆材料。     

工作液超声振动辅助电火花小孔加工装置设计与试验

电火花加工小孔存在电蚀产物排出效率低导致加工效率低、电蚀产物排除导致二次放电现象影响加工精度等问题,而超声振动在工作液中产生空化效应和泵吸作用,能大幅提高电火花的排屑和消电离能力,进而在很大程度上减少上述问题的发生。设计一套工作液超声振动辅助电火花小孔加工装置,主要包括主轴系统、微三维运动平台、超声振动工作液槽和数据采集系统,其中主轴系统包括NSK电主轴、引电结构、工具电极装夹结构,可以实现工具电极的高速旋转;基于LabVIEW开发了电火花小孔加工控制系统,主要包括初始化模块、粗定位模块、恒电压对刀模块、实时电压分段控制加工模块和实时显示模块。开展了工作液超声振动辅助电火花小孔加工试验研究,试验结果表明：随电火花加工电压的增加,工件材料去除率和电极损耗率都趋于增大。     

A new tool wear compensation method based on real-time estimation of material removal volume in micro-EDM

Owing to the reduced tool area and poor flushing conditions in deep holes, tool wear in micro-electrical discharge machining (EDM) is more significant than in macro-EDM. In micro-EDM drilling, the z-axis of the tool position is monitored as machining progresses. However, due to significant electrode wear, the machined hole depth is not identical to the programmed depth of the hole, and thus this will result in geometrical inaccuracy. This paper presents a new micro-EDM drilling method, in which the material removal volume is estimated as machining progresses. Compensation length is calculated and adjustment is made repeatedly along the tool path until the targeted material removal volume is reached. A real-time material removal volume estimator is developed based on the theoretical electro-thermal model, number of discharge pulse and pulse discrimination system. Under various energy input and machining depth settings, the experimental and estimated results are found to be in satisfactory agreement with average error lower than 14.3% for stainless steel, titanium, and nickel alloy work materials. The proposed drilling method can compensate the tool wear and produce more accurate micro-holes as compared to other methods. Experimental work also shows that the proposed method is more reliable as compared to the uniform wear method. In drilling micro-holes of 900 μm depth, the depth error can be reduced to 4% using the proposed method.     

纵扭复合超声端面铣削表面微结构建模与试验研究

目的 对纵扭复合超声端面铣削加工表面微结构进行预测,以优化加工参数。方法 对纵扭复合超声端面铣削进行运动学分析,并在其基础上建立三维运动轨迹方程。对刀尖轨迹仿真,且研究该运动方式下的加工特性。通过对切削刃和工件离散化建立纵扭复合超声端面铣削表面微结构理论模型,并利用MATLAB进行三维表面仿真。对TC4钛合金进行超声振动切削试验。结果 理论仿真和切削试验结果均表明超声纵扭端面铣削时,随振幅的增加,由振动引起的表面微观结构特征愈加明显。扭纵幅值比增大时,加工表面微观结构凹坑效应弱化,At/Al=0.55时,加工表面呈条形片状微观结构。振动频率和主轴转速会影响表面微观结构单元的疏密程度。结论 加工表面微结构的生成与振动频率、振幅、扭纵复制比、切削速度等加工参数相关,铣削实验得到的加工表面变化趋势与表面理论模型吻合,该表面模型能够优化超声加工参数。     

Application of micro-EDM combined with high-frequency dither grinding to micro-hole machining

This research presents a novel process using micro electro-discharge machining (micro-EDM) combined with high-frequency dither grinding (HFDG) to improve the surface roughness of micro-holes. Micro-EDM is a well-established machining option for manufacturing geometrically complex small parts (diameter under 100 μm) of hard or super-tough materials. However, micro-EDM causes the recast layer formed on the machined surface to become covered with discharge craters and micro-cracks, resulting in poor surface quality. This affects the diameter of the micro-hole machined and undermines seriously the precision of the geometric shape. The proposed method that combines micro-EDM process with HFDG is applied to machining high-nickel alloy. As observed in SEM photographs and surface roughness measurement, HFDG method can reduce surface roughness from 2.12 to 0.85 μm Rmax with micro-cracks eliminated. Our results demonstrated that micro-holes fabricated by micro-EDM at peak current 500 mA followed by HFDG at 40 V can achieve precise shape and good surface quality after 6–8 min of lapping.     

Effect of surface roughness of tool electrode materials in ECDM performance

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is an emerging non-traditional machining process that involves high-temperature melting assisted by accelerated chemical etching. In this study, the tool electrode (200 μm in diameter) is fabricated by wire electrical discharge grinding (WEDG). After the tool electrode is machined, the surface roughness of tool electrode materials (stainless steel, tungsten carbide, and tungsten) is different because of the physical properties. However, the surface roughness affects the wettability on tool electrode, and also changed the coalesce status of gas film in ECDM. Hence, this study explores the wettability and machining characteristics of different tool electrode materials and their impact on gas film formation. Their machining performance and extent of wear under gravity-feed micro-hole drilling are also examined. Experimental results show that the optimal voltage of different tool electrode can shed light on the machining performance. Moreover, wettability of tool electrode is determined by surface roughness of tool material, which in turn affects the coalesce status of gas film, machining stability and micro-hole diameter achieved. In addition, differences in tool material also results in variations in machining speed. Significant tool wear is observed after repeated gravity-feed machining of 50 micro-holes.     

超声椭圆振动切削技术及装置应用研究现状及进展

首先,阐述了超声椭圆振动切削技术、原理及其装置特点,着重论述了装置各构成部分的特点及其主要应用类型与材料。其次,分析了国内外学者在双激励、单激励方式下实现纵弯、纵扭、双弯曲和弯扭等复合超声振动装置结构设计及其优化方面的研究成果与进展,并且比较了超声椭圆振动切削与传统加工在加工性能、工件表面质量和加工精度等方面的加工优势与适用范围,以及不同超声振动装置在各切削加工中所能获得的加工效果。最后,对超声椭圆振动切削装置的发展趋势进行了总结和展望,指出该装置发展将朝着结合能场的方向发展。     

Rotary ultrasonic machining for face milling of ceramics

Among the various material removal processes applicable to ceramic materials, rotary ultrasonic machining has the potential for high material removal rate while maintaining low machining pressure and resulting in less surface damage. The limitation of rotary ultrasonic machining is that only circular holes or cavities can be machined due to the rotary motion of the tool. Attempts have been made by other researchers to extend rotary ultrasonic machining process to machining flat surfaces or milling slots. However, these extensions either changed the material removal mechanisms or had some severe drawbacks. One of the reasons for this might be an insufficient understanding of the material removal mechanisms involved. In this paper, a new approach to extend rotary ultrasonic machining to face milling of ceramics is proposed, which keeps all the material removal mechanisms of rotary ultrasonic machining. The development of the experimental apparatus and the design of the cutting tool are described. Preliminary experimental results are presented and discussed.     

Study of the Diffusion of Carbon, Its Sources, and Effect on Finishing Micro-EDM Performance of Cemented Carbide

Apart from the necessity of surface modification based on different applications, in most of the cases, diffusion of carbon or foreign particles on the workpiece surface during micro-electrodischarge machining (micro-EDM) is avoidable, especially in finishing micro-EDM. This study aims to investigate different sources of materials that migrate to the machined surface during fine-finishing of micro-EDM of cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co). The machined surfaces have been examined under scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray to investigate the changes in chemical composition. It has been observed that during finishing of micro-EDM, the major source of materials' transfer to both the workpiece and electrode is the diffusion of carbon that comes from the decomposition of the hydrocarbon dielectric. In addition, materials from both workpiece and electrode transfer to each other based on machining conditions and discharge energy. The migration occurs more frequently at lower gap voltages during die-sinking with micro-EDM because of low spark gap and stationary tool electrode. Milling micro-EDM results in lower amount of carbon migration and fewer surface defects that improve the overall surface finish significantly.     

Surface modifications of Al–Zn–Mg alloy using combined EDM with ultrasonic machining and addition of TiC particles into the dielectric

This study proposes a novel combined process that integrates electrical discharge machining (EDM) and ultrasonic machining (USM) to investigate the machining performance and surface modification on Al–Zn–Mg alloy. In the experiment, TiC particles were added into the dielectric to explore the influence of the combined process on the material removal rate (MRR), the relative electrode wear ratio (REWR), the surface roughness and the expansion of the machined hole. The elemental distributions of titanium and carbon on the cross-section were quantitatively determined using an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA). Microhardness and wear resistance tests were conducted to evaluate the modifications on the machined surface caused by the combined process. The experimental results show that the combined process was associated with improved machining performance. The combination of EDM with USM yielded an alloyed layer that improved the hardness and wear resistance of the machined surface.     

Diffusion Bonded EDM Electrode with Micro Holes for Jetting Dielectric Liquid

This paper describes improvement of machining characteristics of electrical discharge machining of deep slots using a tool electrode which has micro holes for jetting dielectric liquid over the working surface. The tool electrode was made by the diffusion bonding of two copper plates, over an interface on which micro grooves for jetting the dielectric fluid were formed using electrolyte jet machining. In conventional machining, it is difficult to drill micro holes at the end of a slim electrode and circulate the dielectric fluid from the other end. Hence a solid tool electrode is used and periodically lifted up during machining to flush debris particles out of the discharge gap. Use of the newly developed tool electrode was found to shorten the processing time and improve machining accuracy significantly compared with the conventional solid tool electrode. Since the holes are micro, the outlet shapes are not replicated onto the bottom surface of the slot machined.     

Feasibility study of the rotary ultrasonic elliptical machining of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP)

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are used for various aircraft structural components because of their superior mechanical and physical properties such as high specific strength, high specific stiffness, etc. However, when CFRP are machined, rapid tool wear and delamination are troublesome. Therefore, cost effective and excellent quality machining of CFRP remains a challenge. In this paper, the rotary ultrasonic elliptical machining (RUEM) using core drill is proposed for drilling of holes on CFRP panels. This method combines advantages of core-drill and elliptical tool vibration towards achieving better quality, delamination free holes. The cutting force model and chip-removal phenomenon in ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting are introduced and analyzed. The feasibility to machine CFRP for RUEM is verified experimentally. The results demonstrate that compared to conventional drilling (CD), the chip-removal rate has been improved, tool wear is reduced, precision and surface quality around holes is enhanced, delamination at hole exits has been prevented and significant reduction in cutting force has been achieved.     

Material removal mechanisms of cemented carbides machined by ultrasonic vibration assisted EDM in gas medium

A new electrical discharge machining (EDM) technology named tool electrode ultrasonic vibration assisted electrical discharge machining in gas medium (UEDM in gas) is proposed and its principle is introduced. Relevant experimental equipment was designed by which a series of machining experiments of cemented carbide material were carried out. The mechanisms of cemented carbide material removal are discussed in detail through observing and analyzing the microstructures of machined surface. Five material removal mechanisms of cemented carbides machined by UEDM in gas were proposed, which are melting and evaporation, oxidation and decomposition, spalling, the force of high-pressure gas and the affection of ultrasonic vibration.     

金刚石钻磨头超声振动钻磨硬脆材料表面质量的试验研究

硬脆材料以其优良的性能在生产实践中得到了广泛应用，但其低塑性、易脆性及不导电性等使得加工十分困难，尤其是超精密表面制作更加困难。为此，本文将超声振动引入普通钻磨中，介绍了超声振动切削原理，通过超声与普通两种方式下的表面粗糙度试验和微观形貌观察得出以下结沦：1）不同加工参数时，超声振动钻磨时的工件表面粗糙度值均低于普通钻磨时的表面粗糙度值；2）随着进给量、工件转速和输入功率的增加，超声和普通钻磨时的表面粗糙度均呈上升趋势；3）普通钻磨加工后孔壁表面有宽度和间距不均匀的沟槽，并且沟槽较宽，而超声钻磨加工后表面沟槽（划痕）较浅且均匀。     

SiC/GFRP复合装甲超声辅助制孔技术研究

针对新型轻质陶瓷材料为核心的高性能复合装甲在常规加工过程中质量差等问题,对SiC/GFRP复合装甲进行超声振动辅助制孔加工技术研究,通过改变机床主轴转速、进给速度等加工工艺参数,探究钻削力的变化。结果表明：提高主轴转速或降低进给速度,可有效减小钻削轴向力;超声振动辅助提高了制孔表面完整性,能显著改善制孔质量。     

超声辅助磨削SiCf/SiC陶瓷基复合材料

针对碳化硅纤维增强陶瓷基复合材料(SiC_f/SiC)存在加工质量差、刀具磨损严重等问题,开展金刚石砂轮端面超声辅助磨削SiC_f/SiC复合材料试验,对比研究超声辅助磨削和普通磨削SiC_f/SiC过程中的磨削力、表面形貌及表面粗糙度,并分析其材料去除机理。结果表明:超声辅助磨削可有效降低磨削力;超声作用能促使SiC纤维断裂,形成较短纤维而被去除,减少了纤维的折断和剥落,提高了其表面加工质量;在纵向振动端面磨削条件下,超声振幅在一定范围内有助于改善其表面加工质量,振幅过大则会导致表面冲击作用过强而使其表面质量降低。      

A study on the effect of tool nose radius in ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting of tungsten carbide

Nowadays, ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting (UEVC) technique is being successfully applied for ultraprecision machining of difficult-to-cut materials. Previous study reported that the tool geometry especially tool nose radius notably influences the performance of 1D ultrasonic vibration cutting (UVC). However, the effect of tool nose radius in the UEVC technique is yet to be studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of tool nose radius on the UEVC performance in terms of cutting force, tool wear and surface finish when machining a hard-to-cut material, sintered tungsten carbide (WC), using PCD tools. The experimental results show that the UEVC technique performs remarkably better in all aspects at a 0.6 mm nose radius compared to a lower (e.g. 0.2 or 0.4 mm) and a higher nose radius (e.g. 0.8 mm). When machining about 412 mm² surface area, an average surface roughness, R_a of 0.010 μm is achieved with a 0.6 mm nose radius. Analyses are conducted to justify the findings in this study.