The effect of the cutting parameters on performance of WEDM

In this study, variations of cutting performance with pulse time, open circuit voltage, wire speed and dielectric fluid pressure were experimentally investigated in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) process. Brass wire with 0.25 mm diameter and AISI 4140 steel with 10 mm thickness were used as tool and work materials in the experiments. The cutting performance outputs considered in this study were surface roughness and cutting speed. It is found experimentally that increasing pulse time, open circuit voltage, wire speed and dielectric fluid pressure increase the surface roughness and cutting speed. The variation of cutting speed and surface roughness with cutting parameters is modeled by using a regression analysis method. Then, for WEDM with multi-cutting performance outputs, an optimization work is performed using this mathematical models. In addition, the importance of the cutting parameters on the cutting performance outputs is determined by using the variance analysis (ANOVA).     

The Effect of Cutting Parameters on Wire Crater Sizes in Wire EDM

In this study, the effect of the cutting parameters on size of erosion craters (diameter and depth) on wire electrode were experimentally and theoretically investigated in wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). The experiments were conducted under the different cutting parameters of pulse duration (300, 500, 700, and 900 ns), open circuit voltage (80, 100, and 270 V), wire speed (5, 8, and 12.5 m min ^-1 ) and dielectric flushing pressure (6, 12, and 18 kg cm ^-2 ). Brass wire of 0.25 mm diameter and AISI 4140 steel of 0.28 mm thickness were used as tool and workpiece materials in the experiments. It is found that increasing the pulse duration, open circuit voltage, and wire speed increases the crater size, whereas increasing the dielectric flushing pressure decreases the crater size. The variation of wire crater size with machining parameters is modelled mathematically by using a power function. The level of importance of the machining parameters on the wire crater size is determined by using analysis of variance (ANOVA).     

Wire electrical discharge machining of ASP30 tool steel

Wire electrical discharge machining is a non-traditional cutting process for machining of hard and high strength materials. This study analyzed the effects of the main input parameters of wire electrical discharge machining of ASP30 steel (high alloyed Powder metallurgical [PM] high speed steel) as the workpiece on the material removal rate and surface roughness. The input parameters included spraying pressure and electric conductivity coefficient of the dielectric fluid, linear velocity of the wire and wire tension. The machined surface quality was evaluated using SEM pictures. Results indicated that increasing the spraying pressure of dielectric fluid leads to a higher material removal rate and surface roughness and that increasing the wire tension, linear velocity of wire, and electric conductivity of the dielectric fluid decreases the material removal rate and surface roughness.

     

Determining cutting parameters in wire EDM based on workpiece surface temperature distribution

The material removal process in wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) may result in work-piece surface damage due to the material thermal properties and the cutting parameters such as varying on-time pulses, open circuit voltage, machine cutting speed, and dielectric fluid pressure. A finite element method (FEM) program was developed to model temperature distribution in the workpiece under the conditions of different cutting parameters. The thermal parameters of low carbon steel (AISI4340) were selected to conduct this simulation. The thickness of the temperature affected layers for different cutting parameters was computed based on a critical temperature value. Through minimizing the thickness of the temperature affected layers and satisfying a certain cutting speed, a set of the cutting process parameters were determined for workpiece manufacture. On the other hand, the experimental investigation of the effects of cutting parameters on the thickness of the AISI4340 workpiece surface layers in WEDM was used to validate the simulation results. This study is helpful for developing advanced control strategies to enhance the complex contouring capabilities and machining rate while avoiding harmful surface damage.     

Influence of machining parameters on surface roughness in finish cut of WEDM

Surface roughness is significant to the finish cut of wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). This paper describes the influence of the machining parameters (including pulse duration, discharge current, sustained pulse time, pulse interval time, polarity effect, material and dielectric) on surface roughness in the finish cut of WEDM. Experiments proved that the surface roughness can be improved by decreasing both pulse duration and discharge current. When the pulse energy per discharge is constant, short pulses and long pulses will result in the same surface roughness but dissimilar surface morphology and different material removal rates. The removal rate when a short pulse duration is used is much higher than when the pulse duration is long. Moreover, from the single discharge experiments, we found that a long pulse duration combined with a low peak value could not produce craters on the workpiece surface any more when the pulse energy was reduced to a certain value. However, the condition of short pulse duration with high peak value still could produce clear craters on the workpiece surface. This indicates that a short pulse duration combined with a high peak value can generate better surface roughness, which cannot be achieved with long pulses. In the study, it was also found that reversed polarity machining with the appropriate pulse energy can improve the machined surface roughness somewhat better compared with normal polarity in finish machining, but some copper from the wire electrode is accreted on the machined surface.     

An investigation on machinability of nodular cast iron by WEDM

In this study, the machinability of standard GGG40 nodular cast iron by WEDM using different parameters (machining voltage, current, wire speed, and pulse duration) was investigated. From the results, the increase in surface roughness and cutting rate clearly follows the trend indicated with increasing discharge energy as a result of an increase of current and pulse-on time, because the increased discharge energy will produce larger and deeper discharge craters. Three zones were identified in rough regimes of machining for all samples: decarburized layer, heat affected layer, and bulk metal. High machining efficiency can be obtained when the proper electrical parameters are selected, but whether high energy or the low energy is used, a coarse surface is always obtained. The variation of surface roughness and cutting rate with machining parameters is mathematically modeled by using the regression analysis method.     

An investigation on machinability of nodular cast iron by WEDM

In this study, the machinability of standard GGG40 nodular cast iron by WEDM using different parameters (machining voltage, current, wire speed, and pulse duration) was investigated. From the results, the increase in surface roughness and cutting rate clearly follows the trend indicated with increasing discharge energy as a result of an increase of current and pulseon time, because the increased discharge energy will produce larger and deeper discharge craters. Three zones were identified in rough regimes of machining for all samples: decarburized layer, heat affected layer, and bulk metal. High machining efficiency can be obtained when the proper electrical parameters are selected, but whether high energy or the low energy is used, a coarse surface is always obtained. The variation of surface roughness and cutting rate with machining parameters is mathe-matically modeled by using the regression analysis method.     

Parametric optimization for surface roughness, kerf and MRR in wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) using Taguchi design of experiment

This paper reports the effect and optimization of eight control factors on material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness and kerf in wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process for tool steel D2. The experimentation is performed under different cutting conditions of wire feed velocity, dielectric pressure, pulse on-time, pulse off-time, open voltage, wire tension and servo voltage by varying the material thickness. Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal array is employed for experimental design. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and signal-tonoise (S/N) ratio are used as statistical analyses to identify the significant control factors and to achieve optimum levels respectively. Additionally, linear regression and additive models are developed for surface roughness, kerf and material removal rate (MRR). Results of the confirmatory experiments are found to be in good agreement with those predicted. It has been found that pulse on-time is the most significant factor affecting the surface roughness, kerf and material removal rate.     

A new approach to surface roughness and roundness improvement in wire electrical discharge turning based on statistical analyses

In this paper, the effects and the optimization of machining parameters on surface roughness and roundness in the turning wire electrical discharge machining (TWEDM) process are investigated. In the TWEDM process, a new machining parameter, such as rotational speed, is introduced, which changes the normal machining conditions in conventional wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). By the Taguchi method, a complete realization of the process parameters and their effects were achieved. The Taguchi method has not been used in TWEDM by other researchers. The surface roughness and roundness were measured to verify the process. In addition, the open-circuit voltage, pulse-off time, open arc voltage, and the inter-electrode gap size, which are replaced by power, time-off, voltage, and servo, respectively, and also wire tension, wire speed, and rotational speed were chosen for evaluation by the Taguchi method. An L₁₈ (2¹?×?3⁷) Taguchi standard orthogonal array was chosen for the design of experiments. The level of importance of the machining parameters on the surface roughness and roundness was determined by using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimum machining parameters combination was obtained by using the analysis of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios. The variation of surface roughness and roundness with machining parameters was mathematically modeled by using the regression analysis method. Finally, experimentation was carried out to identify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The presented model is also verified by a set of verification tests.     

An experimental study on micro-EDM in low-resistivity deionized water using short voltage pulses

Deionized water has been used as dielectric fluid for micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) because it gives higher material removal rate and lower tool wear than hydrocarbon oil. Moreover, it is a relatively low-cost and eco-friendly substance. Therefore, deionized water tends to be more favorable for micro-EDM. However, it causes weak electrochemical reaction during micro-EDM due to its slight conductivity. This leads to the unanticipated additional material removal from the workpiece which affects the machining shape and quality. The study in this paper aims to suppress the electrochemical reaction in die-sinking micro-EDM using deionized water by employing short voltage pulse. Experiments were carried out to fabricate micro-holes using the developed nanosecond pulse circuit. Different pulse parameters were applied to identify the main factor affecting the electrochemical reaction rate. Machining gap was found to be thinner and workpiece surface adjacent to the rim of micro-holes were found to be free of defects caused by material dissolution when pulse duration reached a critical value. Moreover, the influence of pulse parameters on material removal rate and machined shape was also investigated. Besides, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis showed that the machined surface using deionized water was less affected from material migration during micro-EDM process in comparison to hydrocarbon oil.     

An experimental investigation on machining parameters of AISI D2 steel using WEDM

The performance of the wire electrodischarge machining (WEDM) machining process largely depends upon the selection of the appropriate machining variables. Optimization is one of the techniques used in manufacturing sectors to arrive for the best manufacturing conditions, which are essential for industries toward manufacturing of quality products at lowest cost. As there are many process variables involved in the WEDM machining process, it is difficult to choose a proper combination of these process variables in order to maximize material removal rate and to minimize tool wear and surface roughness. The objective of the this work is to investigate the effects of process variables like pulse on time, pulse off time, peak current, servo voltage, and wire feed on material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR), gap voltage, gap current, and cutting rate in the WEDM machining process. The experiment has been done using Taguchi’s orthogonal array L27 (3⁵). Each experiment was conducted under different conditions of input parameters and statistically evaluated the experimental data by analysis of variance (ANOVA) using MINITAB and Design Expert tools. The present work also aims to develop mathematical models for correlating the inter-relationships of various WEDM machining parameters and performance parameters of machining on AISI D2 steel material using response surface methodology (RSM).The significant machining parameters and the optimal combination levels of machining parameters associated with performance parameters were also drawn. The observed optimal process parameter settings based on composite desirability (61.4 %) are pulse on time 112.66 μs, pulse off time 45 μs, spark gap voltage 46.95 V, wire feed 2 mm/min, peak current of 99.99 A for achieving maximum MRR, gap current, gap voltage, cutting rate, and minimum SR; finally, the results were experimentally verified.     

Super-high-thickness high-speed wire electrical discharge machining

High-speed wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM-HS) of materials of super-high thickness (more than 1000 mm) is a challenging problem. First, sufficient energy is required to maintain the inter-electrode normal discharge. Next, there must be adequate inter-electrode dielectric fluid. Third, in order to generate a smooth cut surface, it is necessary to suppress the vibration of the wire electrode to reduce vibration lines on the cutting surface. To better understand these challenges, the energy and the flow of the medium between two electrodes were analyzed, allowing the establishment of a relevant model. The results indicated that for super-high-thickness machining, the pulse energy must be adequate to compensate for the energy consumed in the molybdenum wire and inter-electrode working liquid. In addition, the running speed of the wire electrode should be improved to ensure that there is a sufficiently high flow rate of the dielectric fluid. The servo control mode of the existing machine tools and dielectric fluid were improved and then a process experiment was performed. The experimental results show that the process can be carried out efficiently and stably and the workpiece surface can be cut smoothly using the improved working liquid and servo control mode.     

Fabricating micromilling tool using wire electrodischarge grinding and focused ion beam sputtering

In the present research, wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) of γ titanium aluminide is studied. Selection of optimum machining parameter combinations for obtaining higher cutting efficiency and accuracy is a challenging task in WEDM due to the presence of a large number of process variables and complicated stochastic process mechanisms. In general, no perfect combination exists that can simultaneously result in both the best cutting speed and the best surface finish quality. This paper presents an attempt to develop an appropriate machining strategy for a maximum process criteria yield. A feed-forward back-propagation neural network is developed to model the machining process. The three most important parameters – cutting speed, surface roughness and wire offset – have been considered as measures of the process performance. The model is capable of predicting the response parameters as a function of six different control parameters, i.e. pulse on time, pulse off time, peak current, wire tension, dielectric flow rate and servo reference voltage. Experimental results demonstrate that the machining model is suitable and the optimisation strategy satisfies practical requirements.     

集群磁流变变间隙动压平坦化加工试验研究

为了提高光电晶片集群磁流变平坦化加工效果,提出集群磁流变变间隙动压平坦化加工方法,探究各工艺参数对加工效果的影响规律。以蓝宝石晶片为研究对象开展了集群磁流变变间隙动压平坦化加工和集群磁流变抛光对比试验,通过检测加工表面粗糙度、材料去除率,观测加工表面形貌、集群磁流变抛光垫中磁链串受动态挤压前后形态变化,研究挤压幅值、工件盘转速、挤压频率以及最小加工间隙等工艺参数对加工效果的影响规律。试验结果表明：集群磁流变平坦化加工在施加工件轴向微幅低频振动后,集群磁流变抛光垫中形成的磁链串更粗壮,不但使其沿工件的径向流动实现磨粒动态更新、促使加工界面内有效磨粒数增多,而且在工件与抛光盘之间的加工间隙产生动态抛光压力、使磨粒与加工表面划擦过程柔和微量化,形成了提高材料去除效率、降低加工表面粗糙度的机制。对于2英寸蓝宝石晶电（1英寸=2.54 cm）集群磁流变变间隙动压平坦化加工与集群磁流变抛光加工效果相比,材料去除率提高19.5%,表面粗糙度降低了42.96%,在挤压振动频率1 Hz、最小加工间隙1 mm、挤压幅值0.5 mm、工件盘转速500 r/min的工艺参数下进行抛光可获得表面粗糙度为Ra0.45 nm的超光滑表面,材料去除率达到3.28 nm/min。证明了集群磁流变变间隙动压平坦化加工方法可行有效。     

Machining performance of a grooved tool in dry machining Ti-6Al-4 V

In this paper, dry machining experiment of Ti-6Al-4 V was carried out to investigate the machining performance of a grooved tool in terms of its wear mechanisms and the effects of cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed rate, and cutting depth) on tool life and surface roughness of the machined workpiece. The results showed that chip-groove configuration substantially improved the machining performance of cutting tool. The main wear mechanisms of the grooved tool were adhesive wear, stripping wear, crater wear, and dissolution-diffusion wear. The resistance to chipping was enhanced due to the decrease of contact pressure of tool-chip interface. And the resistance to plastic deformation of tool nose was weakened at the cutting speed of more than 60 m/min. The appropriate cutting speed and feed rate were less than 70 m/min and 0.10 mm/r, respectively. With cutting speed increasing, the surface roughness of machined workpiece decreased. A high feed rate helped the formation of higher surface roughness except 0.21 mm/r. When cutting depth increased, tool nose curvature and phase transformation of workpiece material had great impact on surface roughness.     

ELECTRIC DISCHARGE MILLING AND MECHANICAL GRINDING COMPOUND MACHINING OF SILICON CARBIDE CERAMIC

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics have been widely used in modern industry. However, the manufacture of SiC ceramics is not an efficient process. This paper proposes a new technology of machining SiC ceramics with electrical discharge milling and mechanical grinding compound method. The compound process employs the pulse generator used in electrical discharge machining, and uses a water-based emulsion as the machining fluid. It is able to effectively machine a large surface area on SiC ceramics with a good surface quality. In this paper, the effects of pulse duration, pulse interval, peak voltage, peak current and feed rate of the workpiece on the process performance parameters, such as material removal rate, relative electrode wear ratio and surface roughness, have been investigated. A L₂₅ orthogonal array based on Taguchi method is adopted, and the experimental data are statistically evaluated by analysis of variance and stepwise regression. The significant machining parameters, the optimal combination levels of machining parameters, and the mathematical models associated with the process performance are obtained. In addition, the workpiece surface microstructure is examined with a scanning electron microscope and an energy dispersive spectrometer.     

混粉准干式电火花加工试验研究

提出一种混粉准干式电火花加工技术,其加工介质是气液固三相流混合物。试验结果表明,材料去除率与表面粗糙度随脉冲宽度、峰值电流及分层厚度的增大而增大,脉冲间隙作用则相反,提高空气压力既有助于提高材料去除率又可降低表面粗糙度,电极损耗随脉冲宽度增大而减小,当脉冲宽度较大时电极损耗接近于零,随峰值电流增大而增加。由于液滴、粉末的介入,气体介质的绝缘强度降低,放电间隙会增加,有利于电蚀产物的排除,可减少短路、电弧放电的发生率,加工稳定性得到提高,从而材料去除率得到提高;由于粉末会产生放电分散效果,电蚀凹坑深度减小,工件表面粗糙度降低。     

Roughness modeling and optimization in CNC end milling using response surface method: effect of workpiece material variation

Influence of machining parameters, viz., spindle speed, depth of cut and feed rate, on the quality of surface produced in CNC end milling is investigated. In the present study, experiments are conducted for three different workpiece materials to see the effect of workpiece material variation in this respect. Five roughness parameters, viz., centre line average roughness, root mean square roughness, skewness, kurtosis and mean line peak spacing have been considered. The second-order mathematical models, in terms of the machining parameters, have been developed for each of these five roughness parameters prediction using response surface method on the basis of experimental results. The roughness models as well as the significance of the machining parameters have been validated with analysis of variance. It is found that the response surface models for different roughness parameters are specific to workpiece materials. An attempt has also been made to obtain optimum cutting conditions with respect to each of the five roughness parameters considered in the present study with the help of response optimization technique.     

气体放电加工基础工艺试验研究

采用单因素法进行了基本的工艺参数(电参数、伺服参考电压等)对气体介质放电加工性能影响的试验研究。试验结果表明:气体介质的放电加工适于采用正极性加工。在试验加工的范围内,工件的蚀除速度和表面粗糙度值随脉冲宽度和峰值电流的增加而增加,随脉冲间隔的增加而减小。极间并联合适的电容能够使加工速度和加工表面粗糙度有所改善,并对此现象进行了分析。对于某一确定的加工参数,存在一个较佳的伺服参考电压值,使加工性能较为稳定。工具电极具有较高的旋转速度能够使气体放电加工性能得到提高。使用氧气介质能够实现快速电火花加工,并根据不同气体的物理性能对不同气体介质的加工性能进行了分析。工件表面显微硬度测试结果表明:空气中放电加工的工件的表面硬度比基体硬度高,比煤油中加工的工件表面硬度低。     

An experimental investigation of tool wear in electric discharge machining

In this study, the variations of geometrical tool wear characteristics – namely, edge and front wear – and machining performance outputs – namely, workpiece removal rate, tool wear rate, relative wear and workpiece surface roughness – were investigated with varying machining parameters. Experiments were conducted using steel workpieces and round copper tools with a kerosene dielectric under different dielectric flushing conditions (injection, suction and static), discharge currents and pulse durations. The experiments have shown that machining parameters and dielectric flushing conditions had a large effect on geometric tool wear characteristics and machining performance outputs. Additionally, published research on tool wear is presented in detail in this study.