Thermo-mechanical analysis and optimal tension control of micro wire electrode

The tension control of the micro wire electrode is a key technology for the micro wire electro-discharge machining (WEDM). Based on the coupled thermo-mechanical analysis, both the three-dimensional temperature and the stress distribution in the micro wire are determined. As a result, the tension of the micro wire electrode during the WEDM process can be optimized in accordance with the discharge energy, which is sampled and fed back to the tension control system in real time. Then the development of an optimal tension control system characterized by the form of master–slaver structure makes it possible to keep the wire tension optimal in the process of WEDM. The results of the machining experiments show that the optimal wire tension control is effective on the improvement of the machining accuracy with the prevention of wire breakage for the micro WEDM.