The effect of deionisation time on the electrical discharge machining performance

An experimental and numerical study to evaluate the time needed for dielectric deionisation between consecutive discharges as well as its effect on performance of electrical discharge machining was done. In the numerical study, the open voltage (gap width definition), current intensity, discharge duration and discharge interval were used among the large number of input parameters used experimentally in the process of electrical discharge machining. The performance parameters values, as well as the time needed for a complete deionisation of the dielectric liquid using a finite element model were calculated. In the numerical study, the time needed for the complete deionisation of the dielectric liquid was calculated using the condition that the temperature reached in the boundaries of the plasma channel with the electrodes has a value between 6,000 and 4,500 °C. In the experimental study, the researchers acquired the time needed for the complete deionisation of the dielectric liquid using small discharge duration and a discharge interval variable between the minimum acceptable by the control of the machine and the one that causes a significant decrease in the material removal rate. The numerical results are in agreement with the experimental data.     

Evaluation of the characteristics of the microelectrical discharge machining process using response surface methodology based on the central composite design

Evaluation of the characteristics of a microelectrical discharge machining (Micro-EDM) process is challenging, because it involves complex, interrelated relationships so a proper modeling approach is necessary to clearly identify the crucial machining variables and their interrelationships in order to initiate more effective strategies to improve Micro-EDM qualities (electrode wear (EW), material removal rate (MRR) and overcut). This paper uses a response surface method (RSM) based on the central composite design (CCD) for Micro-EDM problems with four EDM variables (peak current, pulse on-time, pulse off-time and electrode rotation speed). Experimental results indicate that peak current is the EDM variable that most affects the Micro-EDM qualities for SK3 carbon tool steel while pulse off-time had a significant interaction with that. The results show that RSM based on the CCD could efficiently be applied for the modeling of Micro-EDM qualities (EW, MRR, and overcut), and it is an economical way to obtain the performance characteristics of Micro-EDM process parameters with the fewest experimental data.     

Parametric analysis on electrochemical discharge machining of silicon nitride ceramics

The electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process has a potential in the machining of silicon nitride ceramics. This paper describes the development of a second order, non-linear mathematical model for establishing the relationship among machining parameters, such as applied voltage, electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap, with the dominant machining process criteria, namely material removal rate (MRR), radial overcut (ROC) and thickness of heat affected zone (HAZ), during an ECDM operation on silicon nitride. The model is developed based on response surface methodology (RSM) using the relevant experimental data, which are obtained during an ECDM micro-drilling operation on silicon nitride ceramics. We also offer an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a confirmation test to verify the fit and adequacy of the developed mathematical models. From the parametric analyses based on mathematical modelling, it can be recommended that applied voltage has more significant effects on MRR, ROC and HAZ thickness during ECDM micro-drilling operation as compared to other machining parameters such as electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap.     

Parametric analysis on electrochemical discharge machining of silicon nitride ceramics

The electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process has a potential in the machining of silicon nitride ceramics. This paper describes the development of a second order, non-linear mathematical model for establishing the relationship among machining parameters, such as applied voltage, electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap, with the dominant machining process criteria, namely material removal rate (MRR), radial overcut (ROC) and thickness of heat affected zone (HAZ), during an ECDM operation on silicon nitride. The model is developed based on response surface methodology (RSM) using the relevant experimental data, which are obtained during an ECDM micro-drilling operation on silicon nitride ceramics. We also offer an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a confirmation test to verify the fit and adequacy of the developed mathematical models. From the parametric analyses based on mathematical modelling, it can be recommended that applied voltage has more significant effects on MRR, ROC and HAZ thickness during ECDM micro-drilling operation as compared to other machining parameters such as electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap.     

Cutting of polished single-crystal silicon by wire electrical discharge machining

Smoothly polished single-crystal silicon plates were cut by wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) in water and in oil in order to investigate the effect of WEDM on the polished surfaces. For cutting in water, polished surfaces near cut sections have chips and cracks, and are extremely rough; the rough regions are upheaved. Examinations suggest that the upheaved region is silicon dioxide and results from oxidization of the surfaces by WEDM. Moreover, the polished surfaces far from the cut section are somewhat rough. For cutting in oil, polished surfaces near a cut section are smooth and almost flat although they have chips and cracks. These findings indicate the WEDM in oil is better than that in water for cutting polished single-crystal silicon to obtain high-quality surfaces.     

Improvement of wire electrical discharge machining efficiency in machining polycrystalline silicon with auxiliary-pulse voltage supply

This study proposes a novel pulse voltage configuration, auxiliary-pulse voltage, for wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) of polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) used in solar cell production. It is developed with the objectives of reducing material waste due to the large kerf loss as well as achieving greater efficiency and better quality compared with conventional machining approaches. Experimental results show that compared with conventional-pulse voltage supply, the auxiliary-pulse voltage mode can avoid delay in electrical discharge during pulse-on time. Enhanced frequency of effective discharge for machining would increase machining speed, which would in turn reduce machining groove width, and obtain better surface roughness. In addition, parameters of significant influence on machining characteristics were examined with the Taguchi method, and the optimal combination levels of machining parameters were determined. In sum, our findings reveal that WEDM with auxiliary-pulse voltage supply is an effective approach to machining polysilicon with good quality and high efficiency achieved.     

大尺寸硅片的高效超精密加工技术

本文根据下一代IC对大尺寸硅片（≥300mm)面型精度和表面完整性的要求，分析了大尺寸硅片超精密加工的关键问题，介绍了工业发达国家在硅片超精密加工技术和设备方面的研究现状和最新进展，指出了大尺寸硅片高效超精密加工技术的发展趋势,通过对国内技术现状的分析，强调了针对大尺寸硅片超精密加工理论和关键技术开展基础研究的必要性。     

Contouring of polished single-crystal silicon plates by wire electrical discharge machining

We investigate the effect of cutting by wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) on the shape accuracy of polished single-crystal silicon. Single-crystal silicon plates are polished, and then contoured in deionized water or in oil by WEDM. The shape accuracy of the polished surfaces is measured with an interferometer. As a result, the polished surfaces are deformed into convex shapes by WEDM cutting. The polished surfaces tend to become flat as the roughness of the cut sections decreases, and the flatness is independent of the type of cutting liquid. Cutting in oil is advantageous for maintaining the smoothness of polished surfaces. These findings confirm that, in the contouring process of polished single-crystal silicon blocks, smooth and high-accuracy surfaces are achieved by conducting rough- and finish-cutting WEDM processes in oil.     

High-quality cutting of polished single-crystal silicon by wire electrical discharge machining

We discussed a method for cutting smoothly polished single-crystal silicon surfaces by wire electrical discharge machining to obtain a high-quality surface. To cut out parts with smooth surfaces from the plates by rough-cutting in water while maintaining the initial smoothness of the surfaces, several kinds of masks were applied to the polished surfaces before cutting. It was found that although the application of resin masks is effective for obtaining smooth surfaces far from the cut section, the surface smoothness near the section cut in water is less than in the case of cutting in oil. Next, finish-cutting in oil was performed to remove cracks and chips generated by rough-cutting in oil. As a result, although a few chips were generated at edges of the cut section, cracks were successfully removed by finish-cutting, so that the surface quality was successfully improved by finish-cutting in oil.     

High efficiency fine boring of monocrystalline silicon ingot by electrical discharge machining

This article deals with high efficiency and high accuracy fine boring in a monocrystalline silicon ingot by electrical discharge machining (EDM). In manufacturing process of integrated circuits, a plasma-etching process is used for removing oxidation films. This process has recently been examined for use of monocrystalline silicon as the electrode to minimize the contamination. However, it is difficult to machine silicon accurately by the conventional diamond drilling method, because the material removal is due to brittle fracture. The machining force in the EDM process is very small compared with that in conventional machining, therefore, the possibility of high efficiency and high accuracy boring holes in silicon ingot by EDM is experimentally investigated. The removal rate of monocrystalline silicon by EDM is much higher than that of steel, while the electrode wear is extremely small. The improvement method leads to a better hole without chipping at the exit of hole or sticking of the insulator on the wall of hole. Furthermore, it is proved that even a high aspect ratio of about 200 boring is possible.     

Study on surface characteristics using phosphorous dielectric on wire electrical discharge machining of polycrystalline silicon

In this study, wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) was implemented to process polycrystalline silicon ingot (electric resistance, 2–3 Ω cm), and the influences on surface characteristics were examined. At first, two different dielectrics, pure water and pure water with sodium pyrophosphate powder, were experimented to compare their effects on cutting speed and surface roughness. In the experiment, pure water with sodium pyrophosphate powder has shown that it enhanced process efficiency and improved surface smoothness. Then, the effects on cutting efficiency with different concentrations were examined; 0.05 M was chosen for its best performance. After setting the concentration, several experiments were conducted to find out how different currents and pulse-on times affect the cutting efficiency and surface roughness. The findings in this study prove that using phosphorous dielectric on WEDM could be applied onto polycrystalline silicon cutting. In addition, pure water with sodium pyrophosphate powder increases both working efficiency and improves infiltration of the phosphorous element on the surface. These findings could be future references on researches of solar cell in both industrial and academic fields.     

电火花加工中电极材料对加工性能影响的试验研究

以电火花多电极加工3Cr13模具型腔为研究对象,以提高材料去除率和降低电极损耗为目标,对负极性标准切入加工时不同电极材料的电火花加工性能(加工效率、电极损耗)进行研究,设计并进行了不同工艺参数下紫铜电极和Cu50W铜钨合金电极加工试验,获得了不同条件下的材料去除率和电极相对损耗参数,并对多电极电火花加工工艺及经济性进行了分析,结果表明:相同工艺参数下,加工性能因电极材料热学性能不同而不同,Cu50W铜钨合金的材料去除率约为紫铜的85.7％,而电极相对损耗约为紫铜的42.9％,从而为电火花加工不锈钢模具材料的电极选择提供了理论依据.     

Review of size effects in micro electrical discharge machining

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is one of the most promising non-traditional micro-scale machining methods. Because several operating parameters that are insignificant in macro EDM cannot be neglected during micro EDM process, models derived from the macro EDM process may be inappropriate at the micro scale. This paper contains a comprehensive review of size effects in traditional micro-machining and characteristics specific to micro EDM compared to macro EDM techniques. The very concept of size effects in micro EDM is thoroughly defined and three categories of effects are presented: material microstructure, processing parameter and thermal conduction size effects. Future potential research directions on the subject are also summarized. We assert that careful research and precise attention must be given to size effects in micro EDM. Size effect information especially benefits the machining speed and machining precision of micro EDM.     

Machining characteristics on the ultra-precision dicing of silicon wafer

Recently, the slightest damage to a circuit can cause great damage due to the sizes of semiconductor chips becoming smaller. To prevent damage to the circuit, the dicing process for silicon wafer must be controlled. In this study, the relationship between the chipping effect and the force of dicing was analyzed. The rate of chipping decreased with a decrease in the force of dicing. The force of dicing also decreased according to a lower feed rate and higher blade speed. The lower feed rate and the higher blade speed must be controlled to achieve a chip-free process.     

Effect of silicon particles on the rapidly resolidified layer of Al-Si alloys in the electro discharge machining process

The rapidly resolidified layer is formed by the re-solidification of residual molten materials on the machined surface during the electric discharge machining (EDM) process. This study adopts a range of 4–29 wt% to change the silicon content in Al-Si alloy specimens to clarify the effect of silicon particles including the content, area fraction and intercept length of primary silicon particles on the performance of the rapidly resolidified layer during the EDM process. The layer thickness, surface roughness and ridge density on the rapidly resolidified layer are considered in the performance evaluation and explored by experiment. Experimental results indicate that the EDMed surface has a continuous ridge appearance and the effect of silicon particles including the content, area fraction and intercept length of primary silicon particles has the advantage of more ridge density. The rapidly resolidified layer thickness and surface roughness on the EDMed surface tend to increase with increasing the content and area fraction of the silicon particles.     

Effect of machining parameters on surface integrity of silicon carbide ceramic using end electric discharge milling and mechanical grinding hybrid machining

A novel hybrid process that integrates end electric discharge (ED) milling and mechanical grinding is proposed. The process is able to effectively machine a large surface area on SiC ceramic with good surface quality and fine working environmental practice. The polarity, pulse on-time, and peak current are varied to explore their effects on the surface integrity, such as surface morphology, surface roughness, micro-cracks, and composition on the machined surface. The results show that positive tool polarity, short pulse on-time, and low peak current cause a fine surface finish. During the hybrid machining of SiC ceramic, the material is mainly removed by end ED milling at rough machining mode, whereas it is mainly removed by mechanical grinding at finish machining mode. Moreover, the material from the tool can transfer to the workpiece, and a combination reaction takes place during machining.     

Experimental investigation on effects of dielectric mediums in near-dry electric discharge machining

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - A dielectric fluid plays a significant role on the machining efficiency of Electric discharge machining (EDM). Two phase (liquid-air) dielectric...     

Pressure measurement technique and installation effects on the performance of wafer cone design

The present study explores novel pressure averaging technique for wafer cone flowmeter design and its robustness in the presence of double 90° bend (out-of-plane) and gate valve as a source of upstream flow disturbance. The wafer cone flowmeter is tested in a circular pipe (inside diameter of 101 mm) with water as the working medium for the flow Reynolds number ranging from 1.19×10⁵ to 5.82×10⁵. Influence of the half cone angle (α) on the coefficient of discharge (C_d) of wafer cone flowmeter is studied with this new pressure averaging technique. Half cone angles considered in this study are 30° and 45° with a constant constriction ratio (β) of 0.75. The upstream static pressure tap is located at 1D upstream of the wafer cone. The downstream pressure averaging technique comprises eight circumferential holes of diameter 2 mm on the maximum diameter step of the wafer cone. The pressure taps are communicated through the support strut which serves as a downstream static pressure tap. The disturbance causing elements are individually placed at 1.5D, 5.5D, 9.5D and 13.5D upstream to the wafer cone flowmeter. The wafer cone flowmeter is also tested with gate valve opening of 25%, 50% and 75% for all the arrangements considered. The 30° cone is found to be better than 45° cone for the range of Reynolds number covered in the present study. The results show that the 30° wafer cone flowmeter with novel downstream pressure averaging technique is insensitive to the swirl flow created by a double 90° bend (out-of-plane) and requires an upstream length of 9.5D with a gate valve as a source of flow disturbance.     

Study on the effect of various machining speeds on the wafer polishing process

Silicon wafer polishing has an important role in semiconductor manufacturing; the general purpose of the polishing process is to produce a mirror-like surface. The wafer surface roughness is affected by many variables such as the carrier head unit characteristics, operation, platen and chuck speeds, pad and slurry ratios, and temperature. The optimum process conditions for the experimental temperature, down-force, slurry ratio, and processing time were determined in previous studies and used as fixed factors in this experiment. The main purpose of the present study was to determine how the different platen and chuck machining speeds influence the wafer surface roughness via the polishing process to obtain the optimum machining speed. In the results, the machining temperature appeared to differ at different machining speeds, which is a vital element with regard to wafer polishing.     

Multi-objective parametric optimization on machining with wire electric discharge machining

The selection of optimum machining conditions, during wire electric discharge machining process, is of great concern in manufacturing industries these days. The increasing quality demands, at higher productivity levels, require the wire electric discharge machining process to be executed more efficiently. Specifically, the material removal rate needs to be maximized while controlling the surface quality. Despite extensive research on wire electric discharge machining process, determining the desirable operating conditions in industrial setting still relies on the skill of the operators and trial-and-error methods. In the present work, an attempt has been made to optimize the machining conditions for maximum material removal rate and maximum surface finish based on multi-objective genetic algorithm. Experiments, based on Taguchi’s parameter design, were carried out to study the effect of various parameters, viz. pulse peak current, pulse-on time, pulse-off time, wire feed, wire tension and flushing pressure, on the material removal rate and surface finish. It has been observed that a combination of factors for optimization of each performance measure is different. So, mathematical models were developed between machining parameters and responses like metal removal rate and surface finish by using nonlinear regression analysis. These mathematical models were then optimized by using multi-objective optimisation technique based on Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II to obtain a Pareto-optimal solution set.