STUDY THE EFFECTS OF PROCESS PARAMETERS IN

MICRO EDM CUTTING ON HIGH CARBON STEEL

A PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

K. KALYANASUNDARAM - 312016114059

E. MAGESH - 312016114067

M.PARI - 312016114090

S.M. PRANES KUMAR - 312016114093

In partial fulfilment for the award of the degree

Of

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
IN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

JEPPIAAR SRR ENGINEERING COLLEGE

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

SEPTEMBER 2020

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

I
 BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified that this project report “STUDY THE EFFECTS OF

PROCESS PARAMETERS IN MICRO EDM CUTTING ON HIGH
CARBON STEEL” is the bonafide work of K.KALYANASUNDARAM
(Reg. No.312016114059), E. MAGESH (Reg.No.312016114067), M.PARI
(Reg.No.312016114090), S.M. PRANES KUMAR (Reg. No.
312016114093) who carried out the project work under my supervision.

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE
Dr. B. RAJENDRAPRASATH,M.E.,Ph.D., Dr. B. RAJENDRAPRASATH,M.E.,Ph.D.,
PROFESSOR & HEAD OF THE PROFESSOR & HEAD OF THE
DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING ENGINEERING
JEPPIAAR SRR ENGINEERING JEPPIAAR SRR ENGINEERING
COLLEGE COLLEGE
OLD MAHABALIPURAM ROAD OLD MAHABALIPURAM ROAD
PADUR, CHENNAI-603103 PADUR, CHENNAI-603103

Submitted for the viva-voce examination held on ____________-

_______________ at Jeppiaar SRR Engineering College, Chennai-603 103

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

II
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude and deep

regard to our beloved Founder Chairman (Late) Col. Dr. JEPPIAAR
M.A., B.L., Ph.D., for enlightening our lives and showering heavenly
blessings forever.

We also express our heartfelt thanks to our Chairman and Managing

Director Dr. REGEENA JEPPIAAR B.E., M.B.A., Ph.D., for her kind
cooperation and keen interest for the success of the project.

We are immensely happy to accord the warmth of gratitude to our

Director Mr. MURLI SUBRAMANIAN for being the beacon in all our
endeavours.

We express our profound gratitude to our Principal Dr. A. EZIL SAM

LENI B.E., M.E., Ph.D., for bringing out novelty in all executions.

We express our thanks to our Head of the Department

Dr.RAJENDRA PRASATH,M.E.,Ph.D., for hisvaluable suggestions and
guidance for the development and completion of this project.

We are highly thankful to our project Internal CO-Guide

Mr K.ARUL,M.E.,(Ph.D).,Assistant professor, for guidance and
encouragement in carrying out this project work.
We are much obliged to all our teaching and non-teaching staff
members for their valuable information and constructive criticism that
immensely contributed to the development of the project.

Above all, we wish to avail this opportunity to express a sense of

gratitude and love to our beloved parents and friends for their moral support and

constant strength at various stages of our project.

III
 ABSTRACT

There is a huge demand in the production of microstructures by a non-

traditional method which is known as Micro-EDM. Micro-EDM process is

based on the thermoelectric energy between the work piece and an electrode.

Micro-EDM is a newly developed method to produce micro-parts which in the

range of 50 μm -100 μm. Micro-EDM is an efficient machining process for the

fabrication of a micro-metal hole with various advantages resulting from its

characteristics of non-contact and thermal process. A pulse discharges occur in

a small gap between the work piece and the electrode and at the same time

removes the unwanted material from the parent metal through the process of

melting and vaporization. The micro electro discharge machining drilling of

High speed steel with copper tubular electrodes was studied and the exchanged

power was taken into account as a comprehensive variable able to represent the

effect of the peak current and voltage on the final result. The direct

proportionality between the exchanged power and the nominal process

parameters was verified. A linear and non-linear regression approach was used

in order to obtain predictive equations for the most important aspects of micro-

electro discharge machining process, such as the machining time and the

electrode wear.This paper describes the characteristics, parameters of material

removal rate and the tool wear rate that are essential in the Micro-EDM process.

IV
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

NO NO

ABSTRACT IV

LIST OF TABLES VII

LIST OF FIGURES VII

LIST OF GRAPH VII

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 LITRATURE REVIEW 7

3 METHODOLOGY 12
3.2 WIRE EDM 13
3.3 DIELECTRIC FLUID 14
15
3.4 MINIMUM MACHINEABLE
16
3.5 TYPES OF POWER SUPPLY 16
3.6 ROTARY IMPULSE GENERATOR 16
3.7 RELAXATION GENERATOR 17
3.8 PULSE GENERATOR 18
4 EDM PROCESS PARAMETER 19
4.1 DISCHARGE VOLTAGE 19
4.2 PEAK CURRENT 21
4.3 PULSE DURATION & PULSE 23
INTRAVEL 27
4.4 MATERIAL REMOVAL RATE 27
4.5 TOOL WEAR RATE
5 EXPERIMENTAL CAMPAIGN (SARIX SX200) 31

6 SEM IMAGE 35

7 SIGNAL ASCUSTION SYSTEM 38

8 CALCULATION 42

V
 9 CONCLUSION 44

10 REFERENCE 47

Table no Table name PAGE

NO
1 Electrode and work piece material characteristics 32
2 Dielectric characteristics of kerosene oil 32

Figure no Name of the figure PAGE

NO
1 Concept of EDM 11
2 Sinking electric discharge machining 13
3 Wire electric discharge machining 14
4 Rotary impulse generator 17
5 Relaxation generator 17
6 Pulse generator 18
7 Wear volume of electrode 29
8 Experimental setup 32
9 Block diagram of the data acquisition system 37
10 Overview of the data acquisition procedure 37

Graph no Graph name PAGE

NO
1 MRR VS VG 20
2 RA VS VG 20
3 TWR VS VG 21
4 MRR VS A 22
5 RA VS A 22
6 TWR VS A 22
7 MRR VS PON 25
8 MRR VS POFF 25
9 RA VS PON 25
10 RA VS POFF 26
11 TWR VS PON 26
12 TWR VS POFF 26

VI
Image no Image name PAGE
NO
1 SEM Image 1 35
2 SEM Image 2 35
3 SEM Image 3 36
4 SEM Image 4 36
5 SEM Image 5 36
6 SEM Image 6 37

VII
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Micro Electrical Discharge machining is quite similar with the principals of

Electrical Discharge Machining. According to Z. Katz and C.J Tibbles from the

article “Analysis of micro-scale EDM process” states that Electro discharge

machining (EDM) is a thermal process that uses electrical discharges to erode

electrically conductive materials. EDM has a high capability of machining the

accurate cavities of dies and molds (H. Zarepur, A. Fadaei Tehrani, D. Karimi,

S. Amini, 2007). EDM is an effective technique in the production of micro

components that are smaller than 100μm. EDM is a contactless process that

exerts every small force on both the work piece and tool electrode.

The need for products containing micro-features has shown a noticeable and

continuous growth in many fields of application, and within the different types

of micro-feature, the need for products containing micro holes has shown

remarkable growth in some industrial sectors.1 For example, micro-holes are

widely used for the production of several industrial components such as medical

and optical devices, turbine blades, cooling channels, and diesel fuel injection

nozzles. At the same time, materials with distinctive mechanical and physical

properties, such as titanium- or nickel-based alloys, tungsten carbide and its

composites, tool steels, and other super alloys, have been developed to meet the

needs of specific applications. In general, these materials have high performing

properties in terms of hardness, toughness, low heat sensitivity, high fatigue,

1
and corrosion resistance with respect to other more common materials, even

though they are often more difficult to be machined.3 Micro-electro discharge

machining (EDM) is a manufacturing technology that, by means of rapid

electric spark discharges, is able to remove material from the work piece. Since

micro- EDM involves the use of electrical discharges, it allows the machining

of metals and all the conductive materials, regardless of the hardness or high-

strength materials, such as titanium and hardened steel. The micro-EDM

material removal mechanism takes place in total absence of contact between the

tool and the work piece, the sparks cause the melting and the vaporizing of the

material, in the constant presence of a dielectric. The dielectric flushing in the

machining area helps keeping the electrical condition under control and, at the

same time, it helps keeping the area clean from unwanted metal particles. The

dielectric fluid in fact helps removing the so-called debris, in other words, the

small metallic particles that are melted during the process and rapidly solidified

after having been removed from the work piece. These particles are always

unwanted in the machining area because they enhance the electrode wear

phenomenon: their presence in the machining zone causes electrical discharges

that are not aimed at the actual material removal and for this reason they

increase the electrode wear and the inefficiency of the machining. The wear

phenomenon, together with the machining time, is one of the most relevant

aspects of the micro- EDM process, especially from the industrial point of view.

In Murray et al.,4 it was demonstrated that, for particular discharge gap

2
conditions, the debris can be rapidly solidified and re-attached to the tool

electrode. The importance of the dielectric and the performance ensured by

different dielectric fluids were investigated in Zhang et al.:5 five dielectrics

were studied and compared in order to deepen the knowledge about the

performance of liquid and gas dielectrics, about their peculiarities, and

characteristics. As regards the process parameters, in Puertas et al.,6 the

influence of peak current, pulse time and duty cycle on the surface roughness,

electrode wear, and material removal rate (MRR) was investigated. In this case,

especially for the electrode wear, the combined effect of the process parameters

has the most relevant influence. On the contrary, the duty cycle is the only

factor having a negligible influence on the final indicators. In

Muthuramalingam and Mohan,7 the authors demonstrated that the peak current

and the pulse duration are the most relevant factors from a process performance

point of view. Similarly, in Gostimirovic et al.,8 the influence of the discharge

duration and the peak current on the main performance indicators (MRR, tool

wear ratio (TWR), and surface roughness) was investigated. In Yu et al.,9 the

authors carried out an experimental study in order to investigate the influence of

the process parameters on the machining characteristics of micro-EDM. They

demonstrated the close relationship existing between the performance and the

pulse energy, the dielectric, and the debris distribution. Similarly, in Tiwary et

al.,10 the authors investigated the influence of the process parameters on the

most commonly used process performance indicators, such as the MRR, the

3
TWR, and the diametrical overcut (DOC) for the machining of Ti-6Al-4V. The

authors developed mathematical models in order to find the optimal values of

micro-EDM process parameters and it was possible to demonstrate that the

obtained results are satisfactory and in accordance with the results obtained

experimentally.

In Rasheed et al.,11 the influence of the process parameters on the same

indicators (TWR, MRR, and surface roughness) was investigated in the case of

Ni–Ti shape memory alloy. The authors demonstrated that the Taguchi

approach was the best when analyzing the optimal process conditions: among

all the factors, the capacitance resulted to be the best together with the discharge

voltage, for both brass and tungsten electrode. Moreover, the influence of the

thermal and electrical properties of the material on the responses was

demonstrated.

Based on these assumptions, the selection of the process parameters was

strongly dependent on the match between the electrode and the workpiece. The

selection of the process parameters strongly depends on the match between the

electrode and the workpiece. As mentioned before, the removal mechanism is

based on electrical discharges, and for this reason, the thermal and electrical

characteristics of the materials involved in the erosion (electrode and

workpiece) are of great importance. Copper, brass, and WC are commonly used

as tool electrode in micro-EDM. In Her and Weng,12 a comparison between

copper electrode and tungsten carbide electrode was carried out. It was

4
demonstrated that the WC electrode ensures higher MRR when negative

polarity is selected.

Moreover, copper electrode provides better surface roughness and lower

electrode wear than the WC electrode, but the WC electrode provides higher

removal rate than a copper electrode using both positive and negative polarity.

Similarly, in Khan,13 a comparison between copper and brass electrode for the

machining of aluminum and mild steel was carried out. It was found that the

brass electrode shows the highest wear ratio during the machining of steel,

because of its lower thermal conductivity if compared to the copper one. This

causes less heat loss, and brass lower melting point results in fast melting of the

electrode material. From this point of view, the copper electrode can be

considered preferable.

EDM is a process that provides an alternative method to produce

microstructures. It is also states that the micro EDM is similar to the principal of

macro EDM where the process mechanism is based on an electro-thermal

process that relies on a discharge through a dielectric in order to supply heat to

the surface of the work piece. The current causes the heating of the dielectric,

the work piece, and the electrode. The dielectric forms a channel of partially

ionized gas. The discharge power is dissipated in the plasma channel with

amount between 2% and 10%. The channel acts as a heat source on the surface

of the work piece. Then the work piece is locally heated beyond its melting

point and removed after the material ejected solidifies within the cooler

5
dielectric medium. The significant difference between micro and macro EDM is

the plasma channel radius (Diameter). In macro EDM the plasma size is larger

by several orders of magnitude than the plasma channel radius. The size of the

plasma can be changed by the pulse duration because the channel radius

increases as the time increases. If the pulse duration time allows the channel to

expand until it is larger than the electrode diameter, the rate of its expansion

will change.

6
 CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

Based on the journal Rapid Biocompatible Micro Device Fabrication by Micro

Electro-Discharge Machining by M. Murali & S. H. Yeo. Micro EDM is based

on a simple theory, when two electrodes is separated by a dielectric medium,

come closer to each other, the dielectric medium that is initially non-conductive

breaks down and becomes conductive. During this period sparks will be

generated between the electrodes. The thermal energy released will be used for

the material removal by melting and evaporation. By precisely controlling the

amount energy released, it is possible to machine micro features on any

electrically conductive material. Based on “Advancing EDM through

Fundamental Insight into the Process” journal by M. Kunieda(Tokyo University

of Agriculture and Technology, Japan), B. Lauwers (Katholieke Universiteit

Leuven, Belgium), K.P. Rajukar (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA), B.M

Schumacher (University of Applied Science St Gallen, Switzerland) explains

the basic principle of EDM. In the gap filled of insulating medium most

preferable a dielectric liquid such as hydrocarbon oil order-ionized water

between the tool and electrode occurs the discharging of the pulsed arc. The

insulating medium is to avoid the electrolysis effects on the electrodes during

theEDM process. The electrode shape is copied with an offset equal to the gap

size and the liquid will be selected to minimize the gap in order to obtain

precise machining. To make sure it is safe, a certain gap width is needed to

7
avoid short circuiting especially for electrodes that are sensitive to vibration or

deformation is used. Initially, a high voltage current is needed to discharge in

order to overcome the dielectric breakdown strength of the small gap. Formed

between the electrodes is a channel of plasma (ionized and electrically

conductive gas with high temperature) and it will develops further depends on

the discharge durations. Discharge occurs at high frequencies between and hertz

since the metal removal per discharge is very small. For every pulse, discharge

occurs at a particular location where the electrode materials are evaporated or

ejected in the molten phase then a small crater is generated both on the tool

electrode and work piece surfaces. The removed material are then cooled and

re-solidified in the dielectric liquid forming several hundreds of spherical debris

particles which will be flushed away from the gap by the dielectric flow. In

Jahan et al.,14 different electrode materials (tungsten, W, copper tungsten,

CuW, and silver tungsten, AgW) were used for the machining of tungsten

carbide. It was found that AgW electrodes produce smoother and defect-free

Nano surface, and that CuW electrodes achieve the highest MRR followed by

AgW. From the electrode wear point of view, the W electrode had the lowest

wear followed by CuW and AgW. Other authors investigated the possibility to

use copper composites as tool electrodes. In Marafona and Wykes,15 the

authors carried out an investigation about the optimization of the EDM process

exploiting the effect of carbon which has migrated from the dielectric to

tungsten–copper electrodes. A two-stage EDM process, where different EDM

8
settings are used for the two stages of the process, was developed. In Tsai et

al.,16 electrodes made by means of powder metallurgy technology from Cu/Cr

powders were used to increase wear resistance. According to the results, it was

possible to demonstrate that the composite electrodes ensured a higher MRR

than Cu metal electrodes. In Lee et al.,17 a composite Cu/W electrode was used

for the machining of AISI 1045 carbon steel. The influence of the EDM

parameters on various aspects of the surface integrity was investigated and it

was possible to demonstrate that the MRR, surface roughness, hole

enlargement, average white layer thickness, and induced residual stress tend to

increase at higher values of pulse current and pulse-on duration. A linear

relationship between the maximum residual stress and the average white layer

thickness was identified and an effective control of the residual stress can be

carried out with appropriated pulse durations. The literature reports some

mathematical formal relationships regarding both the process performance and

the geometrical characteristics. In Kuppan et al.,18 the influence of the EDM

process parameters in deep hole drilling of Inconel 718 was investigated, and

mathematical models for MRR and depth average surface roughness were

derived using response surface methodology. Micro-EDM drilling of titanium

super alloy was investigated in Pradhan et al.;19 the process parameters were

optimized and some mathematical models were developed to establish the

relationship between various significant process parameters and micro-EDM

performance criteria. A different approach was used in Allen and Chen20 where

9
MRR for micro-EDM on molybdenum was analyzed using a MATLAB-based

thermo-numerical model, which simulated a single spark discharge process.

Using this model, the effects of important process parameters were studied. In

Jeong and Min,21 a geometry prediction of EDM-drilled holes and tool

electrode shape was investigated, developing a two-dimensional geometric

simulation model of EDM drilling with cylindrical tool. The model predicts the

change in tool and workpiece geometries during the machining due to the

end/corner wear and interaction with the workpiece. The simulation

performance was verified experimentally by comparison with the experimental

results. At the end of the discharge duration, the temperature of the plasma and

the electrode surfaces that is in contact of the plasma rapidly drops, resulting in

the recombination of ions and electrons also the recovery of the dielectric

breakdown strength. To obtain stable condition in EDM, it is important for the

next pulse discharge occur at a spot distanced sufficiently far from the previous

discharge location. This is because the previous location will result in having a

small gap and it is contaminated with debris particles which may weaken the

dielectric breakdown strength of the liquid. The time interval for the next

discharge pulse should be long so that the plasma that is generated by the

previous discharge can be fully de-ionized and the dielectric breakdown

strength around the previous discharge location can be recovered by the time the

next voltage charge is applied. If happens that the discharges occurs at the same

10
location, resulting in thermal overheating and non-uniform erosion of the work

piece.

Figure 1: Concept of EDM

11
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Adapted from the article “Advancing EDM through Fundamental Insight into

the Process” by M. Kunieda (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology,

Japan), B. Lauwers (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium), K.P. Rajukar

(University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA), and B.M Schumacher (University of

Applied Science St Gallen, Switzerland). The sinking electrical discharge

machining is as shown in Figure 2. The workpiece can be formed either by

replication of a shaped tool electrode or by 3-Dimensional movement of a

simple electrode similar to milling or we can use the combination of both the

methods. Normally we use copper or graphite as the electrode material. The

numerical control monitors the gap conditions and synchronously controls the

different axes and the pulse generator. The dielectric liquid is filtrated to

remove debris particles and decomposition products. Hydrocarbons dielectric is

normally used since the surface roughness is better and tool electrode wear is

lower compared to the de-ionized water.

12
 Figure 2: Sinking Electrical Discharge Machining

3.2 WIRE EDM

In the figure below outlines the wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM

method) which is taken from the article “Advancing EDM through Fundamental

Insight into the Process” by M. Kunieda, B. Lauwers, K.P. Rajukar, B.M

Schumacher. Wire electrode methods can cut complicated shapes like a wire

sawing machine. Normally the wire electrode is brass wire or coated steel wires

but in case of thin wires tungsten or molybdenum wires are used. Since we can

change the orientation of the wire by controlling the horizontal position of the

upper wire guide relative to the lower guide all types of surfaces can be cut.

Discharge current with a high peak value over a short duration of time are used,

both the upper and lower feeding brush are supplied with current to obtain a

quick rise in the discharge current by reducing the inductance in order to avoid

breakage due to Joule heating. To reduce vibration and deflection tension is

applied to the wire resulting in deteriorated cutting accuracies. Water is the

most often used as the dielectric liquid but its specific electrical conductivity

13
should be decreased using de-ionizing resins to avoid electrolysis and to keep

high open voltage.

Figure 3: Wire Electrical Discharge Machining

3.3. DIELECTRIC FLUIDS

In micro electrical discharge (MEDM) machining the most important thing to

ensure the efficiency of the feed is the dielectric fluids. In MEDM the dielectric

fluid acts as a cutting medium to improve surface roughness, corrosion

resistance and wear resistance. In most die-sinking process use kerosene as the

dielectric fluid (Han-Min Chow, Lieh-Dai Yang, Chin-Tien Lin, Yuan Feng

Chen, 2007). However there are a lot of dielectric fluids that can be replace to

replace kerosene such as pure water (distilled water) because pure water has a

high thermal conductivity, a low viscosity coefficient, and a high flowing rate.

Pure water temperature is not affected by long working time, and this will

improve the material removal rate (MRR). Recent researches indicated that

14
adding powder in EDM process will enhance MRR, therefore improving the

surface roughness, corrosion resistance and wear resistance. Previous

researchers (Yan, 1994, Chen, 1993) used kerosene added with aluminum

powder as an EDM dielectric fluid and obtained a high material removal rate

and improved surface roughness. Additives can improve the surface quality of

workpiece quite effectively by increasing the material removal rate (MRR) and

decreasing the tool wear rate especially in mid-finish machining and finish

machining (Ming, He, 1995). Other than that, we can also use oil as the

dielectric fluids which will affect the tool electrode wear where it depends on

the significance of the pulse duration (Masonori Kunieda, Teruki Kobayashi,

2004). Recently green manufacturing has become very important to all

manufacturing industries, thus the use of pure water has been proved to have

more good effect on the workpiece since water has a high thermal conductivity,

a low viscosity coefficient, and a high flowing rate and pure water will not be

affected by a long working time. Thus a constant high material removal rate will

be obtained (Han-Min Chow, Lieh-Dai Yang, Chin-Tien Lin, Yuan Feng Chen,

2007).

3.4. MINIMUM MACHINABLE SIZE

Recently the demands for microscopic parts have increased and the research on

Micro EDM is becoming more and more important. The minimum machinable

diameter of micro rods obtained by EDM is about 5 μm at best. Thus more

effort is needed to extend the limits of miniaturization in micro EDM. The

15
factors that affect the limits is maybe because the electric discharge energy of

each pulse discharge, this is a result of the discharge crater increases with

increasing electric discharge energy(T. Kawakimi, M. Kunieda). However the

limits of minimum machinable size are not decided only by the electric

discharge energy. Residual stress that is caused by EDM results in distortion of

micro workpieces (Spur, G., Uhlmann, Kruth).

3.5. TYPES OF POWER SUPPLY

In conventional EDM, the current level is high as well as the voltage required.

As a result of high currents, the electrode gets locally melted and there is

welding of the workpiece and electrode. There are also problems of stray arcing.

Moreover, uncontrolled discharge cannot be allowed in micro-machining. Thus

a different power supply is required for micro EDM. Pulsed DC power supply is

a critical component for achieving the required parameters of accuracy, finish

and size of micro holes by using EDM process. The purpose if the power supply

is to convert the alternating current into a pulsed unidirectional direct current

required to produce the spark and also the effectiveness of the EDM is

determined by the type of power supply used.

3.6 ROTARY IMPULSE GENERATOR

This is the rotary impulse generator power supply where the voltage waveform

is generated based on the DC motor principle, which it creates a sinusoidal

wave pattern that is similar to rectification.

16
 Figure 4: Rotary Impulse Generator

3.7 RELAXATION GENERATOR

Figure 5 is called the relaxation generator where the principal is based on the

charging and discharging of the capacitor that is connected to the power supply.

The type of wave that is generated by these arrangements is the saw tooth wave.

In creating the spark, the capacitor is allowed to charge and then it is brought to

contact with the work piece and discharges.

Figure 5: Relaxation Generator

17
3.8 PULSE GENERATOR

Solid state devices are used instead of capacitor and resistors in pulse generator.

Replacing the capacitor a solid-state devices such as the transistor are used.

They are toggled between of state and saturation state to generate rectangular

pulse which swing between zero and supply voltage. The idea is to increase the

production efficiency which it have higher production efficiency than the

relaxation circuits.

Figure 6: Pulse Generator

18
 CHAPTER IV

MICRO EDM PROCESS PARAMETERS

In theory, we can say that the process parameters of EDM and the process

parameters of Micro-EDM are quite similar. This is because the working

principal is the same which that both of the machining uses Electric Discharge

Machining where electrodes discharges pulses and cut away the metal with help

of dielectric fluid for better machining accuracy. The dielectric fluid also acts as

a lubricant to ensure the machining is accurate and running smooth. We can

assume that the process parameters needed in EDM and micro-EDM is similar

due to the similarity explained above. It is also states that the micro EDM is

similar to the principal of macro EDM where the process mechanism is based

on an electro-thermal process that relies on a discharge through a dielectric in

order to supply heat to the surface of the work piece (H. Zarepur, A. Fadaei

Tehrani, D. Karimi, S. Amini, 2007).

4.1 DISCHARGE VOLTAGE

The spark gap and the breakdown strength of the dielectric is related to the

discharge voltage in EDM processes. Current will flow into the system and

before it happen the open gap voltage increases until it has created a path that

will go through the dielectric. The path that is mentioned before is called the

ionization path. When the current is flowing, voltage drops and stabilizes at the

working gap level. The present voltage determines the width of the spark gap

between the leading edge of the electrode and the work piece (Sanjeev Kumar,

19
Rupinder Singh). If we set the voltage to a high value then the gap will increase,

increasing the gap will improve the flushing conditions and helps to stabilize the

cut. The open circuit voltage also have an impact to the system, as we increase

the open circuit voltage tool wear rate (TWR) and surface roughness increases

because the field strength increases.

45.00
Material Removal Rate

43.00
41.00
39.00
37.00
(µm3/min)

35.00
33.00
31.00
29.00
27.00
25.00
4 8 12
Voltage (v)

Graph 1.

5.50
5.00
Surface Roughness (µm)

4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
4 8 12
Voltage(V)

Graph 2.

20
 0.70
Tool Wear Rate (µm3/min) 0.65
0.60
0.55
0.50
0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
4 8 12
Voltage (V)

Graph 3.
4.2 PEAK CURRENT

Peak current is known as the amount of power used in discharge machining

which this parameter is measured in amperage and above all this is the most

important parameter in EDM machining. During each on-time pulse, the current

increases until it reaches a pre-set level which is express as the peak current. In

roughing operations or cavities in large surface areas higher amperage is used.

Using higher currents will definitely improve material removal rate (MRR) but

it will give an impact on the surface finish and tool wear. Despite the machine

cavity is a replica of tool electrode and excessive wear will hamper the accuracy

of machining and as a result, all of the above statements is important in EDM.

New improved electrode materials, especially graphite, can work on high

21
currents without much damage (Ho and Newman, 2003).

50.00
Material Removal Rate

45.00
40.00
(µm3/min)

35.00
30.00
25.00
4 8 12
Current (A)

Graph 4.

0.70
0.65
0.60
Tool Wear Rate

0.55
(µm3/min)

0.50
0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
4 8 12
Current (A)

Graph 5.

5.50
Surface Roughness (µm)

5.00

4.50

4.00

3.50

3.00
4 8 12
Current (A)

Graph 6.

22
4.3 PULSE DURATION AND PULSE INTERVAL

Expressed in units of microseconds the cycle has an on-time and off –time. On

the on-time all the work is produced and as a result the duration of these pulses

and the number of cycles per second are important. Metal removal is directly

proportional to the amount of energy applied during the on-time (Singh et. al.,

2005). The energy applied during the on-time controls the peak amperage and

the length of the on-time. Pulse duration and pulse off-time is called pulse

interval. If the pulse duration is longer, then more work piece material will be

melted away. Then, it will have a broader and deeper hole than using shorter

pulse duration. Even though the hole has rough surface finish, the extended

pulse duration will allow more heat sink into the work piece and in the

meantime it will spread which means the recast layer will be larger and the heat

affected zone will be deeper. However, exceeding the pulse duration will also

have its benefits. Whereas, when the optimum pulse duration for each electrode

and work material combination is exceeded, the material removal rate will start

to decrease. The longer the duration will have effect on the wear of the work

material where when the duration of the pulse is longer, then there will be a no-

wear situation. But there are a certain limits for that point to be reached. But if

that point is reached, increasing the duration will cause the electrode to grow

from plating build-up. To complete the cycle sufficient pulse interval is needed

before the next cycle can be started. Other than that, the pulse interval also

23
affects the speed and the stability of the cut. From theory, the shorter the

interval the faster the machining operation will be. But this will affect the work

piece material where it will not be swept away by the flow of the dielectric and

as a result the fluid will not be de-ionized. As a result the next pulse will be

unstable and hard to control. This unstable condition will cause erratic cycling

and retraction of the advancing servo and this will slow down the cutting rate.

At the same time, pulse interval must be greater than the de-ionization time to

prevent continued sparking at one point (Fuller, 1996). In ideal conditions, each

pulse creates a spark. However, it has been observed practically that many

pulses fail if duration and interval are not properly set, causing loss of the

machining accuracy and those pulses are called open pulses (Sanjeev Kumar,

Rupinder Singh).

24
 45.00
Material Removal Rate 43.00
41.00
39.00
(µm3/min)

37.00
35.00
33.00
31.00
29.00
27.00
25.00
35 65 95
Pulse Time On (µs)

Graph 7.

44.00
Material Removal Rate (µm3/min)

42.00

40.00

38.00

36.00

34.00

32.00

30.00
2 6 8
Pulse Time Off (µs)

Graph 8.

5.50
Surface Roughness (µm)

5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
35 65 95
Pulse Time On (µs)

Graph 9.

25
 5.50
Surface Roughness (µm) 5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
2 6 8
Pulse Time Off (µs)

Graph 10.

0.3500
Tool Wear Rate (µm3/min)

0.3000

0.2500

0.2000

0.1500

0.1000
2 6 8 Pulse Time Off (µs)

Graph 11.

0.70
0.65
Tool Wear Rate (µm3/min)

0.60
0.55
0.50
0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
35 65 95
Pulse Time On (µs)

Graph 12.

26
4.4MATERIAL REMOVAL RATE (MRR)

Material removal rate is defined as amount of material removed over a unit

Time during machining operation, the total amount of material removed can be

Found out by subtracting the weight after machining From initial weight of

work piece or otherwise it can be found out by subtracting the volume after

machining from the initial volume before machining

MRR = VOLUME/ TIME

VOLUME = VB – VA

4.5TOOL WEAR RATE (TWR)

The ratio of amount of electrode to the amount of work piece removal is defined

as the wear ratio (Yao Yang Tsai, Takahisa Masuzawa). There are four methods

that are known to evaluate the electrode wear ratio by means of measuring

weight, shape, length, and total volume respectively. A common one is by

calculating the volumetric wear ratio. Usually we will measure the weight

differences and transfer them into the volumes by the density of materials.

However this method is unsuitable for micro-EDM because the weight change

is so small making it difficult to measure it accurately. Therefore, it is important

to measure and analyze removed material directly.

27
In Fig. 8 the change of electrode length and corner rounding is illustrated. In the

figure the worn electrode can be divided into two parts which is and is the wear

volume on bottom portion and is the wear volumes of corner portion and are

assumed to be the volume of a cylinder of a revolution body, respectively,

because a rotating electrode is used during machining.

Even though hole making by EDM is a common process, a lack of information

about the measurement of the actual process parameters in micro- EDM and

their influence on the process performance emerged from the literature. The aim

of this article is to deepen the knowledge about the process parameters’

influence in micro-EDM drilling of High speed steel with copper electrode. The

main contribution and the novelty aspects of this work are based on the use of

actual electrical parameters instead of the nominal ones. As a matter of fact, the

Sarix SX200 process parameters, namely, the peak current and the energy levels

are only representative of the physical quantities involved in the process: they

are expressed as indexes and they only have a relation with the real physical

quantity value. This issue is a remarkable problem, still under investigation, due

to the difference between the nominal and actual values of the process

parameters. This aspect is particularly significant if we consider that different

actual conditions can occur using the same nominal parameters, due to minimal

physical local differences of both the workpiece and electrode. For this reason, a

dedicated data acquisition system was implemented: the system is able to

directly measure and to record the peak current and voltage signals during

28
operation, to filter and analyze them in order to obtain reliable information

about the micro-drilling process. The process parameters and the statistical

analysis of their effect on the final response were carried out: in particular, the

effect of the peak current, voltage, and exchanged power was studied, and the

process performance as well as the geometrical characteristics of the holes were

evaluated. A linear and non-linear regression approach was set up, allowing the

implementation of predictive equations for the most relevant aspects of the

drilling procedure, such as the machining time and the electrode wear.

Eb − Ea (g)
EWR = (mm 3 /min) ,
t(min) ∗ density (g/mm3)

Figure 7: Wear volume of the electrode

29
PHOTOS OF WORK PIECE

30
 CHAPTER V

EXPERIMENTAL CAMPAIGN

A Sarix SX200 machine (Figure 8) was used for the experimental campaign.

Tubular electrodes made of copper (Cu) having, respectively, external diameter

equal to 300 and 150mm and internal diameter equal to 120 and 60mm were

used to collect information about the influence of the electrode diameter on the

indicators. The experimental campaign was carried out on High speed steel

sheets having thickness equal to 1 mm. The electrode and work piece material

characteristics are reported in Table 1, and Table 2 reports the characteristics of

the dielectric fluid, adduced to the machining zone with a pressure of 20 bar.

Some preliminary drilling tests were executed in order to collect information

about the process performance (time and wear). Based on this information, the

final process parameters were selected in order to minimize the machining time

and the electrode wear. In particular, for every electrode diameter, two different

wave shapes, in other words energy levels, were used for the experimental tests.

31
 Figure 8. Experimental setup.

Table 1. Electrode and workpiece material characteristics.

Material Cu High speed steel

Density (g/cm3) 7.764 8.00

Melting temperature (℃) 1083.2 1083.2 1375–1400

Electrical resistivity () 0.0000740 0.0000740

Thermal conductivity (W/m K) 385 14.0–15.9

Specific heat (J/(g℃)) 0.385 0.500

Table 2. Dielectric characteristics of kerosene oil.

Dielectric strength (MV/m) 14–22

Dielectric constant 1.8

Thermal conductivity (W/m K) 0.149

Heat capacity (J/g K) 2.16

Dynamic viscosity (g/m s) 1.64

32
 The experimental procedure was based on the execution of through

micro-holes on High speed steel sheets. A full-factorial design of experiment

(DOE) approach was adopted: two process parameters (namely, peak current I

and voltage V) were varied on three levels, codified as ‘‘low,’’ ‘‘medium,’’ and

‘‘high.’’ Five repetitions for every experimental condition were executed.

Moreover, the energy level was varied on two levels for each diameter, codified

as 365 (high) and 206 (low). For the 300 and 150mm electrode diameter, 45

holes were carried out for each energy level, 180 through micro-holes in total.

Tables 3 and 4 show the fixed and varied process parameters for every electrode

diameter and for every energy level, respectively. As regards the 150mm

electrode, since the electrode bending is a relevant aspect to monitor for the

realization of acceptable geometrical characteristics of the holes, a ceramic

guide was employed. In particular, the ceramic guide was used to limit the

electrode bending due to the considerable electrode length (.8mm) necessary to

carry out the through holes. The preliminary experimental tests provided some

information about the electrode wear, and such an electrode length was imposed

by the considerable electrode wear. The ceramic guide helps controlling the run

out phenomenon and the development of a more repeatable machining

procedure, since the electrode is kept in place by the ceramic guide.

Thanks to an automatic drilling program, the machining time was recorded after

the execution of each hole and the electrode wear was measured by means of an

33
electrode touch in a referential point on the workpiece. After the execution of

each hole, the electrode needs to be cut in order to carry out the machining

procedure with the same electrode conditions. This happens because the tool

electrode as well as the workpiece are characterized by a certain wear that

damages the initial cylindrical shape of the electrode. After a series of sparks,

the material is eroded from the electrode bottom and sides and the electrode

assumes a conical shape which can have a negative effect on the micro-holes’

geometry.

34
 CHAPTER VI

SEM IMAGE

SEM Image 1.

SEM Image 2.

35
SEM Image 3.

SEM Image 4.

SEM Image 5.
36
SEM Image 6.

37
 CHAPTER VII

SIGNAL ACQUISITION SYSTEM

Figure 9. Block diagram of the data acquisition system.

Figure 10. Overview of the data acquisition procedure.

38
In order to find a formal relationship between machine input and output, a

signal acquisition system was implemented. A general schematic of the

acquisition system is given in Figure 9, and the experimental setup is depicted

in Figure 10.

Two electronics modules have been developed for monitoring the electrode

voltage on the high side and the discharge current on the low side, respectively.

By providing a bipolar supply, the system is able to monitor the machining

process even at inverted polarity. Both the modules provide large bandwidth

(BW) (direct current (DC)\BW\10MHz) in order to preserve the microsecond-

based structure of the EDM process and suitable gain in order to enter the scope

with signals in the order of few volts. In particular, the voltage sensing is based

on a high-value resistor divider, in order to not affect the machine parameters.

The obtained low voltage from the divider is successively amplified and

buffered, providing the capability at the output to drive a 50-O load on a coaxial

cable. As concerns the current monitor module, the current is sensed at machine

low side in order to not use high-voltage components; the current drawn from

the ground passes through a high-power, 10-mO resistor. The voltage drop

across this resistor is then differentially amplified and buffered for a 50-O

matching on a coaxial cable. The electronics modules, enclosed in metallic

boxes, are mounted on the EDM machine, close to the measurement points.

BNC coaxial cables were finally connected to a Teledyne LeCroy WaveSurfer

oscilloscope, programmed to perform simultaneous acquisitions of both voltage

39
and current monitor at 1000 MS/s. The acquisition process was automated with

the use of a MATLAB program run on a personal computer connected to the

oscilloscope via a local Ethernet network. The data are fetched in regular

intervals of time from the oscilloscope and they are saved as MATLAB figure

files. A specially designed MATLAB script that iterates over all the data files

and computes values such as energy per spark, peak current, peak voltage, and

number of sparks per second contributed to the analysis of the electrical graphs.

In order to process the data, a proper data filtering and a system to remove the

data noise were implemented. In order to carry out an effective data filtering, it

is necessary to consider that the sparks are very short in duration and can be

confused with simple noise by a filtering algorithm. As a matter of fact, the

frequency band of the noise and the sparks are sufficiently different to allow an

effective filtering procedure. Figure 4 shows an example of the data before and

after the filtering. In order to detect the presence of a spark, a function was

implemented. This function represents the core of the analysis process since the

way it is built is decisive in the computation of all the values extracted from the

data. The sparks presence function is the following

Sp(t)= 0 if there is not a spark at t 1 if there is a spark at t

Observing the graphs, it is possible to note how the beginning of every spark is

characterized by a sudden decrease in the voltage level and it is accompanied by

an increase in the current value, in conformity with the literature.22 Similarly,

40
the spark ends when the current Figure 9. Block diagram of the data acquisition

system. Figure 10. Overview of the data acquisition procedure. goes back to a

value close to 0. Based on the previous observation, it is possible to state that a

spark happens When Voltage is below a certain level Vthreshold; Current is

above a certain level Istart; and similarly, a spark ends when

A spark is currently ongoing; the current is below a certain level Iend.

The choice of the three parameters, Vthreshold, Istart, and Iend, is crucial since

the function able to detect the sparks needs to return the correct number of

sparks. At the same time, the function needs to make the sparks comparable to

themselves and achieve a certain level of consistency. Moreover, some

information about the main process parameters need to be collected, such as the

correct number of sparks and the number of detected sparks that maximize their

energy.

For each set of parameters used for the experimental campaign, a file was

selected and the number of sparks was counted by means of an algorithm able to

detect the beginning and the end of each spark. Knowing the effective number

of sparks, it was possible to use that information as a constraint in the

optimization process allowing the algorithm to find the values of Vthreshold,

Istart, and Iend that maximize the energy of all sparks.

41
 CHAPTER VIII

CALCULATION

MRR VS A
2129.16
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 35.4860µm 3/min
60

2427.48
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 40.4580µm3/min
60

2657.16
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 44.2860µm3/min
60

MRR VS VG
2063.16
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 34.3860µm3/min
60

2361.48
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 39.3580µm3/min
60

2591.16
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 43.1860µm 3/min
60

MRR VS PON
2261.16
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 37.6860µm3/min{PULSE=35µS}
60

2427.48
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 40.4809µm3/min{PULSE=65µS}
60

2632.74
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 43.8790µm3/min{PULSE=95µS}
60

MRR VS POFF
2414.28
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 40.2380µm3/min {PULSE=2µS}
60

2559.48
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 42.6580µm 3/min {PULSE=6µS}
60

2433.42
𝑀𝑅𝑅 = = 40.5570µm3/min{PULSE=8µS}
60

42
TWR VS A

(4−3.8)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.2980 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.8)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.4510 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.8)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.5680 µm3/min
60×0.00895

TWR VS V

(4−3.8)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.2280 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.76)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.4410 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.70)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.5580 µm3/min
60×0.00895

TWR VS PON

(4−3.83)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = =0.3060 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.797)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.3780 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.729)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.5040 µm3/min
60×0.00895

TWR VS POFF

(4−3.84)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.2970 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.85)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.2691 µm3/min
60×0.00895

(4−3.89)
𝑇𝑊𝑅 = = 0.1937 µm3/min
60×0.00895

43
 CHAPTER IX

CONCLUSION

The effect of the actual process parameters on the process performance of

micro-EDM drilling of High speed steel was investigated. Copper electrodes

having different diameters were used in order to investigate the effect of the

electrode size on the geometrical characteristics of the micro-holes and on the

process performance. In order to investigate the effect of the varied process

parameters (current, voltage, and energy level), a DOE approach was applied.

As a general remark, the electrode diameter together with the energy level

demonstrates to have a great influence on the final value of the indicators. The

ANOVA showed two different behaviours for the electrode diameters: for the

300-mm one, the energy is the factor influencing the highest number of

indicators (DOC, MRR, and TWR). The process performance indicators (MRR

and TWR) result to be more influenced by the parameters’ variation with

respect to the geometrical indicators (DOC and TR). As regards the 150-mm

diameter, only the process performance indicators are influenced by the varied

parameters and no significant effect of the parameters’ interaction is recorded.

In order to investigate the influence of the actual process parameters on the final

result, the electrical power was chosen as representative variable, able to

summarize the effect of peak current, voltage, and energy. The direct

proportionality between the exchanged power and the nominal process

44
parameters was verified only for the 300-mm electrode, while a general

flattening effect was recorded for the 150-mm ones.

The power exchanged with the 300-mm electrode was 1 order of magnitude

bigger than the power exchanged with the 150-mm electrode. As regards the

300-mm electrode, the increasing exchanged power results in increasing

removal rates, for both energy levels. The same trend is verified for the TWR,

for which the increasing power results in a decreasing machining efficiency.

Finally, LMand non-LMwere developed for the electrode wear and machining

time prediction. As regards the electrode wear, the non-linear approach does not

provide a significant improvement of the prediction capability since the non-LM

exactly corresponds to the linear one. Differently, for the machining time, the

non-LM provides a better prediction capability, counterbalanced by a

considerable complexity of the model. From an industrial point of view, the

measurement of the actual process parameters and the application of machine

learning techniques gave a contribution in developing predictive models for the

most relevant aspect of the process, such as the machining time and the

electrode wear. Further developments may extend the experimental conditions,

taking into account different combinations of electrode–workpiece materials,

thereby investigating the effect of the material properties.

In this paper, an overview of the process parameters, material removal rate,

types of generators, and the minimum machinable size of the diameter are being

discussed. This review is done based on previous and recent research on Micro-

45
EDM. The paper focuses on the principal of micro-EDM, the types of EDM

processes, dielectric fluid, and types of generators, EDM process parameters,

and the material removal rate (MRR) and the tool wear ratio (TWR). This paper

is essential for the development in the research to fabricate the micro-EDM with

micro actuator tool feed mechanism machine.

46
 CHAPTER X

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