A novel spark erosion technique for the fabrication of high aspect ratio micro-grooves

Micro groove is an important geometrical feature of components used in microsystem technology (MST). Straight micro grooves are the predominant features in microsystem components such as micro heat exchangers and diffraction gratings. Micro Electrical Discharge Machining (micro EDM) is a complementary microfabrication technique adopted from the conventional EDM machining process for the purpose of micro machining. Using micro EDM it is possible to machine all electrically conductive materials irrespective of their hardness. High aspect ratio microgroove machining for length as high as 20 mm is a formidable task for the conventional micro EDM. In the present work, a novel spark erosion technique has been described wherein a graphite foil has been used instead of the traditional pin shaped tool electrode, for the purpose of making straight grooves. In a single setup microgroove of 20 mm length and an aspect ratio of about 2.3 has been achieved on hardened tool steel by this technique. This process is further refined by using the gravitational effect for the effective debris removal, which has improved the aspect ratio to about 8.Accepted: September 2003