Precision Engineering 51 (2018) 529–535

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Precision Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/precision

Productivity improvement of micro EDM process by improvised tool☆ T

⁎
Ravinder Kumar , Inderdeep Singh
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, 247667, India

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Micro electric discharge machining (μ-EDM) is a widely used process for machining of difficult to machine
Micro EDM materials. The occurrence of arcing and short circuiting in micro electric discharge drilling (EDD) is a common
Tool geometry problem which limits the aspect ratio achieved during the process. The present study is focused on the im-
MRR provement in response characteristics by eliminating the occurrence of arcing and short circuiting. These pro-
TWR
blems can be addressed by modifying the tool electrode geometry. Although, EDD using shaped tool electrodes
Aspect ratio
Hole quality
improve response characteristics as proven by the previous studies, but time spent in electrode fabrication must
also be considered as it affects the overall productivity. Considering the literature related to EDD using shaped
tool electrodes, the proposed electrode has been found to have minimum electrode fabrication time i.e. 9 min for
an electrode length of 3.2 mm. Therefore, the proposed electrode is capable of producing holes of high aspect
ratio with minimum electrode fabrication time. The proposed electrode was also found to be effective in
eliminating the accumulation of debris in the machining zone. Moreover, the need of flushing during the process
has been totally eliminated making it a self-flushing electrode. The mechanism of removal of debris is well
explained based on the images captured using a high speed camera. The performance of the proposed electrode
was evaluated with respect to response characteristics such as material removal rate, tool wear rate, aspect ratio,
taper angle and corner radius of the drilled hole. A substantial increase of 300% in aspect ratio was recorded
using the designed electrode as compared to the solid cylindrical electrode for the hole diameter of 0.8 mm.

1. Introduction
Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) is widely used in many engineering ap-
plications like automobile, aerospace and defense due to its properties
of low specific density and high specific strength. It comes in the ca-
tegory of difficult-to-machine materials due to high toughness and low
thermal conductivity. Machining with conventional methods results in
high tool wear and low surface integrity. Micro hole machining is fur-
ther a challenging task, therefore, there is an imminent need to focus on
the development of unconventional machining processes. Micro electric
discharge machining (EDM) is a process that is widely used for such
type of difficult-to-machine materials as it removes the material irre-
spective of its hardness. EDM being an electro thermal process removes
the material by a series of electrical discharges with the aid of dielectric
flushing that removes the debris from the sparking zone. Flushing is a
key factor in achieving the hole of desired aspect ratio and surface
finish. Improper flushing causes the accumulation of debris in the
machining zone resulting in the occurrence of arcing and short cir-
cuiting. Short circuiting is a discharge-less state which slows down the
machining rate or even stops it. Because of these abnormal discharge
pulses (arc pulses and short circuit pulses), the aspect ratio is limited in
case of holes produced by micro EDM.
A solid cylindrical electrode is generally used in Micro electric
discharge drilling (EDD) process to fabricate the holes along with suf-
ficient amount of flushing to flush out the debris. But as the tool ad-
vances deeper into the workpiece, the influence of flushing goes on
reducing. At a critical depth, the flushing becomes ineffective and the
debris find it difficult to evacuate from the machining zone. The ac-
cumulation of debris in the discharge gap results in the phenomenon of
arcing and short circuiting resulting in higher machining time and low
aspect ratio. The high initial pressure of the gaseous bubbles offer
strong resistance to the flow of dielectric oil, thus leading to limited
aspect ratio. During discharge, bubbles are generated in the discharge
gap and maximum debris move out of the discharge gap following the
excluded bubbles [1,2]. Beyond the critical depth, the high initial
pressure of bubbles reaches equilibrium with the viscous resistance of
the dielectric oil in the side gap and the surface tension of the bubbles
in the discharge gap [3]. Bubbles cannot flow out of the hole, and their
accumulation isolates the dielectric flow into the machining area. The
absence of dielectric flow in discharge area results in frequent short

☆
This paper was recommended by Associate editor Prof. Chung Chung Choo
⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ravi87.r@gmail.com (R. Kumar).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.precisioneng.2017.10.008
Received 24 April 2017; Received in revised form 6 September 2017; Accepted 13 October 2017
Available online 16 October 2017
0141-6359/ © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
R. Kumar, I. Singh
circuiting, leading to extreme tool wear and significant dropping in
machining speed. To overcome these problems, several approaches
have been attempted by researchers, such as flushing, planetary
movement of the electrode, ultrasonic vibration of the electrode and
geometry of the electrode. From the literature review, the geometry of
the tool electrode has been found to be very helpful in preventing the
accumulation of debris in the machining zone, thereby, eliminating the
occurrence of arcing and short circuiting. The slots fabricated into the
cylindrical electrode provides a pathway for the debris to be easily
removed from the inter-electrode gap increasing the machining effi-
ciency. Till date, only a handful of attempts have been reported re-
garding control of the arcing and short circuiting in the EDM process
using different electrode geometries and tool profiles. Wang et al. [4]
investigated the effects of cylindrical electrode and a helical electrode
on the micro EDM performance and concluded that helical electrode
provides higher MRR and lower TWR. Hung et al. [5] used a helical
micro-tool electrode for micro-EDM combined with ultrasonic vibration
and reported a significant reduction in the EDM gap, taper and ma-
chining time for deep micro-hole drilling. Plaza et al. [6] proposed a
new helical shaped electrode and reported a reduction of 37% in ma-
chining time using electrode with a helix angle of 45° and flute depth of
50 μm. Nastasi and Koshy [7] designed tool electrodes with different
geometric features (helices and longitudinal slots) to promote tool ro-
tation-induced debris removal. The designed electrodes were compared
with the solid cylindrical electrode for maximizing MRR. Zhiqiang et al.
[8] designed a double helix electrode for the micro electric discharge
drilling. The authors reported that double helix electrode improved
material removal efficiency and depth to diameter ratio of micro hole as
compared to a flat faced electrode. Liu et al. [9] designed a two-stage
cylindrical electrode, the first stage having a solid cylindrical shape
whereas the second stage having a helical shape of larger diameter. The
second stage with helical groove was used for grind machining with SiC
particles and found effective in improving the surface quality of the
hole. Wansheng et al. [10] carried out EDM hole drilling provided with
ultrasonic vibrations using a notched tool electrode and recorded an
improvement in machining efficiency and hole taper. Yan et al. [11]
used a notched electrode in their experimental study and concluded
that a tool electrode with a notch can improve the debris evacuation.
Hsue and Chang [12] proposed a synchronous micro-EDM grinding
process using a helical shaped electrode co-deposited with fine diamond
abrasives. The electrode was found effective eliminating the need of a
separate grinding process to fabricate precision micro-holes.
In the present experimental investigation, a novel tool electrode was
designed by cutting an inclined micro slot into the cylindrical tool
electrode with an objective to assist the removal of debris from the
machining zone. The influence of featured micro slot was investigated
at two different angles of inclination with the horizontal i.e. 60° and
75°. The variation of slot width and tool speed has also been in-
vestigated with an objective to improve the response characteristics.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Fabrication of tool electrode
Two types of electrodes (featured with inclined micro slots) have
been fabricated using the WEDM process (Fig. 1) with the variation in
slot angle and slot width. The objective of the featured slot is to provide
a path for the debris to escape easily from the machining zone using the
rotation of the electrode. To fabricate the proposed electrode, a solid
cylindrical tungsten carbide rod of 1 mm diameter was taken and fixed
on the machine table. Using wire EDM, slots of width 50, 100, 150 and
200 μm were cut into the tungsten carbide rod at angles of 60° and 75°
to the horizontal with a depth equal to the radius of the rod. The
parameters used in the WEDM process are shown in Table 1. As the wire
used in WEDM was of diameter 50 μm, the slot width of 50 μm was cut
with a single pass only. To cut the slot width of more than 50 μm, the
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Precision Engineering 51 (2018) 529–535
wire was moved depending upon the width of the slot required.
2.2. Experimental setup
All experiments were conducted on a micro EDM machine unit
(Make: Synergy Nano Systems, Model: Hyper-15, India) as shown in
Fig. 2. The attachments of EDD and WEDM can be mounted on the
machine column, whenever required. The wire electric discharge
grinding (WEDG) attachment, consists of a wire of diameter 0.2 mm
which can travel at variable speed between the spools. Mounting of tool
electrode on the spindle always lead to minimum amount of eccen-
tricity due to clamping errors. WEDG is a much-needed process in micro
EDD in eliminating the eccentricity and achieving the required dia-
meter by fabricating the tool on the machine prior to the experiments.
3. Experimental procedure
The drilling of holes of diameters 0.8 mm using tool electrode fea-
tured with inclined micro slots was carried out using three processes i.e.
WEDM, WEDG and EDD as shown in Fig. 3(a–c). The fabrication of
micro slots has been explained in section on fabrication of tool elec-
trode (Fig. 3(a)). After fabricating the slot, the electrode is then
mounted on the spindle of the EDD attachment. To remove the eccen-
tricity as well as to achieve the diameter of 0.8 mm, WEDG was per-
formed (Fig. 3(b)). A CCD camera was used for the measurement pur-
poses. Ti6Al4 V workpiece was fixed on the table and EDD was
performed using input parameters as shown in Table 2 (Fig. 3(c)). The
objective of the experimental investigation is to compare the perfor-
mance of the tool electrode with inclined micro slots and solid cylind-
rical electrode at a constant discharge energy. The voltage and capa-
citance were kept constant whereas slot inclination, slot width and tool
speed were varied. Tool wear in micro EDM can hardly be measured by
measuring the weight difference of the tool electrode even using a
highly sensitive weighing scale. A general approach to measure the
wear of a micro tool is by allowing the electrode to make an electric
contact at a datum point before and after the experiment. The change of
Z value denotes the wear length. The MRR and TWR were calculated by
dividing the removed volume by the machining time (Eq. (1)).
Removed volume
MRR or TWR =
Machining time (1)
4. Results and discussion
4.1. Mechanism of debris evacuation
The performance of the proposed electrode was analyzed through
experimental tests, by comparing machining time and aspect ratio with
those obtained using the solid cylindrical electrode. The effect of the
inclined micro slot was observed in eliminating the accumulation of
debris up to a depth equal to the height of the slot. The presence of
inclined micro slot provided a pathway to the generated bubbles as well
as to the debris to leave out from the cavity by providing them a wider
path to move through (100–200 μm of slot width instead of 20–40 μm
of side gap). Fig. 4(a) shows a schematic representation of evacuation of
bubbles and debris through the inclined micro slot. During the EDM
process, the centrifugal force generated by the rotating electrode forces
the bubbles away from the center of the electrode. Their collision makes
them bigger in size (bubble expansion). The expanded bubble faces a
resistance from the hole surface and electrode wall surface which
lowers its speed of traveling out. The proposed electrode provides a
pathway for the bubbles to move out easily. Evacuation of bubbles leads
to evacuation of debris [1,2], as shown in the images captured using
high speed camera (Fig. 4(b)). The debris is distributed near the surface
of the bubble and within the bubble. The rotation of the electrode
works in picking up the maximum amount of bubbles from around the
R. Kumar, I. Singh
Table 1
Machining parameters for WEDM process.
Parameter Value
Voltage (V) 110
Capacitance (pF) 10,000
Feed (μm/s) 5
Polarity Positive
electrode.
4.2. Effect of input variables on machining time
In the present experimental investigation, holes were drilled con-
sidering two different angles of the micro slots i.e. 60° and 75° to the
horizontal, keeping slot width of 100 μm and tool speed of 1000 rpm.
Fig. 5 compares the performance of the designed electrodes with the
solid electrode in terms of machining time and hole depth. In case of
solid electrode and electrode with slot angle of 60°, the critical depth
was observed as 1.5 mm whereas, for an electrode with slot angle of
75°, it was 3.2 mm. For slotted electrodes, the critical depth was found
to be equal to the height of the slot from the tool base and depends on
the angle of the slot, Lower the angle, higher is the critical depth
(Fig. 1). Beyond this depth, the exit of the bubbles is blocked by the
hole wall. The electrode featured with inclined micro slot then acts
similar to the solid tool electrode. The machining beyond the critical
depth results in accumulation of debris and short circuiting within the
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Precision Engineering 51 (2018) 529–535
Fig. 1. Schematic and the actual tool.
discharge gap, resulting in increased machining time.
Fig. 6 compares the MRR and TWR values for the electrodes at a
depth of 1.5 mm. Electrode with slot angle of 75° was observed to have
highest MRR as well as highest aspect ratio (Fig. 5). The best per-
forming electrode (i.e. electrode with slot angle of 75°) was further
investigated to ascertain the effect of slot width and tool speed. The
width of the slot was varied from 50 to 200 μm (Fig. 7) and speed from
500 to 1500 rpm (Fig. 8). The slot width of 150 μm and the tool speed
of 1000 rpm was observed to have the minimum machining time.
The machining time depends on the effective discharge area and the
ability of the electrode to prevent arcing and short circuiting. The slot
widths lower than 150 μm have higher discharge area but have lower
ability to prevent arcing and short circuiting. Likewise, the slot widths
higher than 150 μm have higher ability to prevent arcing and short
circuiting but have lower discharge area. The tool rotational speed al-
lows the slot to pick up the maximum amount of bubbles as the bubbles
are coming out from around the periphery. Very low rotational speed
lacks in picking up all the bubbles leaving the bubbles to move through
the inter electrode gap. Very high rotational speed does not provide
sufficient time for the bubbles to be picked up making the process
unstable. Therefore, for a stable process, an optimal rotational speed is
desired (1000 rpm in the present case), which allows maximum bubbles
to pass through the inclined slot.
4.3. Hole quality
The formation of inclined micro slot has been found effective in
Fig. 2. Experimental setup.
R. Kumar, I. Singh Precision Engineering 51 (2018) 529–535

Fig. 3. Processes used in experimental work (a) WEDM (b) WEDG (c) EDD.

Table 2
Process parameters for micro EDD.

Parameters Value

Variables
Slot inclination (degrees) 60, 75
Slot width (μm) 50, 100, 150, 200
Speed (rpm) 500, 1000, 1500
Constant parameters
Voltage (V) 100
Capacitance (pF) 10,000
Feed (μm/s) 3
Electrode diameter (mm) 0.8
Electrode material Tungsten carbide
Polarity Positive
Electrode base Slot base
Fig. 5. Variation of machining time with depth of hole for different electrodes.

improving the MRR and aspect ratio as well as reducing the TWR.
Moreover, the quality of the drilled holes need to be analyzed to as-
certain the effectiveness of slotted electrode over solid electrode. The
drilled holes were cut in half using WEDM (Fig. 9) and their taper angle
and corner radius were measured. Taper angle was measured using Eq.
(2).

Change in diameter ⎤
Taper angle (θ) = tan−1 ⎡
⎢
⎣ 2*Length ⎥
⎦ (2)

Fig. 10 compares the taper angle values recorded for the solid and
the slotted electrodes (with different slot widths) at the critical depth
which is 1.5 mm for solid electrode and 3.2 mm for the slotted electrode
(75° slot angle). It can be seen that the taper angle of the hole drilled by
Fig. 6. MRR and TWR at 1.5 mm depth for different electrodes.
the slotted electrode is less as compared to the hole drilled by the solid
electrode. In case of solid electrode, the movement of the debris
through very narrow side gap causes additional side sparking resulting corner radius of the holes drilled using solid and slotted electrode at the
in a tapered hole. But, in case of electrode featured with an inclined respective critical depths. The electrode with a slot width of 100 μm
micro slot, the maximum movement of the debris is through the in- records minimum corner radius. The corner radius of a hole drilled
clined slot (Fig. 4) which eliminates the formation of additional using solid electrode is 0.164 mm at a depth of 1.5 mm (critical depth)
sparking resulting in lower value of taper angle. Fig. 11 shows the whereas, it is 0.181 mm using slotted electrode (slot width of 100 μm)

Fig. 4. (a) Schematics of bubble evacuation through

inclined micro slot (b) evacuated bubbles captured
using high speed camera.

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R. Kumar, I. Singh
Fig. 7. Effect of slot width on machining time.
Fig. 8. Effect of tool speed on machining time.
at a depth of 3.2 mm (critical depth).
4.4. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of tool electrode
The elemental analysis of the tool electrode after performing the
experiment was studied by the Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy
(EDX or EDS or EDAX). EDX was conducted at two different locations of
the tool electrode i.e. (i) tool base (Fig. 12) and (ii) inside the slot
(Fig. 13). The generation of heat within inter-electrode gap causes
melting and evaporation of both tool and the workpiece material. The
material of workpiece gets fused on the tip of the tool electrode which
has been identified by X-ray spectra shown in Fig. 12(c) along with the
weight percentage of each element. The elements of workpiece material
has also been identified inside the slot (Fig. 13(c)) but in a debris form
as shown in the SEM image of the slot (Fig. 13(b)) confirming the
movement of the debris through the slot.
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Fig. 10. Effect of slot width on taper angle.
Fig. 11. Effect of slot width on corner radius.
4.5. Improvement in the electrode design
An attempt was made to further improve the process performance
by cutting two micro slots (slot width of 100 μm) in the electrode as
shown in Fig. 14(a) with the perception of transfer of the bubbles to the
slot 2 after reaching the critical depth. But the results recorded were
much similar to the previous case. In another attempt, cutting the
electrode to length L1 as shown in Fig. 14(b) was found effective in
improving the machining time. An improvement of 14% in machining
time was recorded, but there is no improvement in the aspect ratio. The
reason for the improved machining time is the better evacuation of
debris from the machining zone which further reduces arcing and short
circuiting. The bubbles once generated in the sparking zone are picked
up by the slot 1 as shown in Fig. 14(c), preventing their movement and
possible accumulation at the corner of the hole. Whereas, the bubbles
which are not picked up by slot 1, moves towards the corner of the hole
and are taken up by slot 2.
From Fig. 14, it is clear that the electrode is capable of producing a
hole of depth equal to the height of the slot only. Higher the exit of the
slot, deeper is the hole produced. The continuous flow of bubbles
Fig. 9. Sectional view of the machined hole.
R. Kumar, I. Singh
Fig. 12. EDX analysis at tool base.
through the slot is the key in achieving continuous machining. For this
purpose, the position of the slots was so arranged that slot 1 and slot 2
together provide a continuous path for the bubbles to move out as
shown in Fig. 15(a). The movement of bubbles towards slot 2 is based
on the same fact that bubbles find it easier to move through the wider
opening (150 μm of slot width instead of 20–30 μm of side gap).
Keeping the fact in mind, multiple slots were cut in an electrode of
diameter 0.8 mm (Fig. 15(b)) with an objective to achieve maximum
possible aspect ratio. The electrode before and after machining is shown
in Fig. 15(c). It was observed experimentally that the electrode can now
machine upto a depth of 6 mm providing an aspect ratio of 7.5. The
findings of the experimental work have been summarized in Table 3.
The critical depth that was achieved using solid and multiple slotted
electrodes was 1.5 mm and 6 mm, respectively. This corresponds to
300% increase in aspect ratio compared to the solid electrode. The
selection of the electrode type shown in Table 3 depends upon the as-
pect ratio of the hole to be drilled. Type II electrode can be used to drill
a hole with aspect ratio of 4. Type III electrode is more productive and
can be used where machining time is a limitation compromising with a
higher electrode fabrication time. Type IV electrode can be used where
the major concern is high aspect ratio and not the productivity. Type IV
electrode has higher fabrication time and lower MRR but provides a
hole with high aspect ratio.
4.6. Economics of electrode fabrication
The electrode geometry proposed in the present experimental in-
vestigation is comparable to the helical electrode presented in the lit-
erature. The working behaviour of both the electrodes is same, i.e. re-
moval of debris from the sparking zone thereby increasing the aspect
ratio of the hole. Although, the productivity is not a matter of concern
in drilling a hole of high aspect ratio in difficult to machine materials,
but a continuous focus must be there to minimize the overall cycle time
(electrode fabrication time + machining time). Except Hsue and Chang
[12], no article have reported the time spent in fabricating the helical
Fig. 13. EDX analysis inside the slot.
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Precision Engineering 51 (2018) 529–535
electrode. The authors reported a fabrication time of 15 min for 2 mm
electrode length for the electrode diameter of 0.3 mm. The fabrication
time for the present electrode (type II) is 9 min for 3.2 mm electrode
length for the electrode diameter of 0.8 mm (slot inclination of 75°) and
will further be lower for the smaller electrode diameter. Therefore, the
proposed electrode is capable of producing holes of high aspect ratio
with minimum cycle time.
5. Conclusions
In the present experimental investigation, the process performance
of electric discharge drilling using electrodes with featured micro slots
has been analyzed. A novel class of electrodes has been fabricated by
cutting inclined micro slots in the solid cylindrical electrode with an
objective to improve the machining performance. Blind holes were
drilled in Ti6Al4V workpiece to evaluate the effectiveness of the de-
signed electrodes. The effect of slot angle, slot width and tool speed on
MRR and aspect ratio was also evaluated. The following conclusions
can be drawn from the present experimental investigation;
• The idea of using an inclined micro slot for eliminating the accu-
mulation of debris during micro EDD process was found to be suc-
cessful.
• The slotted electrodes generate tool rotation induced debris re-
moval, thereby eliminating the occurrence of arcing and short cir-
cuiting.
• The proposed electrode completely eliminates the need of flushing
and acts as a self-flushing electrode.
• Compared to solid electrode, slotted electrode gives improved
output characteristics i.e. MRR, TWR, taper angle, corner radius and
aspect ratio at a tool speed of 1000 rpm.
• Type III electrode further improves MRR and TWR.
• 300% increase in aspect ratio was recorded using type IV electrode
as compared to the solid cylindrical electrode for the hole diameter
of 0.8 mm.
R. Kumar, I. Singh Precision Engineering 51 (2018) 529–535

Fig. 14. Electrode with two micro slots.

Fig. 15. Schematic of the tool electrode with mul-

tiple slots (a, b), (c) actual electrode.

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