Advanced Mfg Processes

Compiled by V.Selvaraj

Adv mfg processes

Mechanical -AJM -USM Electro- Chemical -ECM -ECG Chemical -CHM Thermo-electric -IBM -PAM -EDM -EBM -LBM

EDM
Electro Discharge Machining

Working principle
spark machining, spark eroding, burning, die sinking or wire erosion using electrical discharges (sparks) The material removal occurs by a series of rapidly recurring current discharges between two electrodes. separated by a dielectric liquid and subject to an electric voltage. One of the electrodes is called as tool or cathode, whereas the other is called workpiece or anode. Melting and/or vaporization processes in conjunction with pressure dynamics established in the spark-gap (0.005-0.25)by the collapsing of the plasma channel

Principle
When the distance between the two electrodes is reduced, the intensity of the electric field in the volume between the electrodes is expected to become larger than the strength of the dielectric (at least in some point(s)) and therefore the dielectric breaks allowing some current to flow between the two electrodes. This phenomenon is the same as the breakdown of a capacitor (condenser)

Principle
A collateral effect of this passage of current is that material is removed from both the electrodes. Once the current flow stops (or it is stopped - depending on the type of generator), new liquid dielectric should be conveyed into the inter-electrode volume enabling the removed electrode material solid particles (debris) to be carried away and the insulating proprieties of the dielectric to be restored. This addition of new liquid dielectric in the inter-electrode volume is commonly referred to as flushing.

Principle
Also, after a current flow, a difference of potential between the two electrodes is restored as it was before the breakdown, so that a new liquid dielectric breakdown can occur. EDM can be seen as a series of breakdown and restoration of the liquid dielectric in-between the electrodes.

Some Brands..
Charmilles-Agie Seibu Ferri et al (1969)

Application
On Hard metals (very difficult to machine ) Electrically conductive intricate contours or cavities in pre-hardened steel without the need for heat treatment to soften and reharden them. On Titanium, hastelloy, kovar, inconel. polycrystalline diamond and ceramics. Very small work pieces where conventional cutting tools may damage the part from excess cutting tool pressure. delicate sections and weak materials can be machined with out any distortion.

process
debris from the inter-electrode volume is likely to be always partial. Thus the electrical proprieties of the dielectric in the inter-electrodes volume can be different from their nominal values and can even vary with time This would be made possible by the fact that the material on the surface has altered mechanical proprieties due to an increased temperature caused by the passage of electrical current.

process
The spark-gap control appears logically to be central to this process. The current flow between the dielectric is of the spark-gap can be short-circuited by the debris The control system of the electrode may fail to react quickly enough to prevent the two electrodes (tool and workpiece) to get in contact, with a consequent short circuit.

process
Arcing (The flushing can be inadequate to restore the
insulating properties of the dielectric so that the flow of current always happens in the point of the inter-electrode volume)

craters (1 to 200 microns) causes gradual erosion of the electrode (wear) To obtain a specific geometry, the EDM tool is guided along the desired path very close to the work

Electrode Wear
severity of the wear is strictly dependent on the technological parameters used in the operation (for instance: polarity, maximum current, open circuit voltage)

Generators
Generators RC circuits (Transistor controlled pulses ) Resistance, resistor, capacitance and capacitor These quantities would then affect the maximum current delivered in an ideal discharge, which is expected to be associated with the charge accumulated on the capacitors at a certain moment in time.

Pulse generator
a train of pulses of voltage to the electrodes. Each pulse can be controlled in shape, for instance quasi-rectangular Time between and the duration of pulse. Amplitude (constitutes the open circuit voltage) not to occur for a duration equal or larger than the time interval between two consecutive pulses not only to the generator design but also to the controller of the motion of the electrodes.

Tool changers
multiple electrode strategy tool electrode replicates in negative the wanted shape and is advanced towards the blank along a single direction, usually the vertical direction (i.e. z- axis). This resembles the sink of the tool into the dielectric liquid in which the workpiece is immersed, so, not surprisingly, it is often referred to as die-sinking EDM (also called Conventional EDM and Ram EDM).

Electrodes
A graphite, Copper tungsten or Pure copper electrode sterling silver

Wire EDM
This is what happens if a continuously replaced wire is used as electrode only a small portion as electrode this portion is changed on a regular basis a thin single-strand metal wire, usually brass fluid, which is typically deionised water not used to produce complex 3D geometries to cut plates as thick as 300mm upper and lower diamond guides. The guides move in the xy plane, usually being CNC controlled

Wire EDM..
zuv axis, giving rise to the ability to cut tapered and transitioning shapes (circle on the bottom square at the top for example) and can control axis movements in x yuvijkl. This gives the wire-cut EDM the ability to be programmed to cut very intricate and delicate shapes Accurate to 0.004 mm, and can have a cutting path or kerf as small as 0.12 mm using 0.1 mm wire Best Economy is R0.335 mm using 0.25 brass wire. sparking occurs from the sides of the wire to the work piece, causing over size. 8 kg spool of 0.25 mm wire is just over 19 kilometers long. Today, the smallest wire diameter is 20 micrometres and the geometry precision is not far from +/- 1 micrometre.

Wire EDM
The wire-cut process uses water as its dielectric with the water's resistivity and other electrical properties carefully controlled by filters and deionizer units. The water also serves the very critical purpose of flushing the cut debris away from the cutting zone. Flushing is an important determining factor in the maximum feed rate available in a given material thickness, and poor flushing situations necessitate the reduction of the feed rate.

Wire EDM..
Along with tighter tolerances multiaxis EDM wire-cutting machining center have many added features such as: multiheads for cutting two parts at the same time, controls for preventing wire breakage, automatic self-threading features in case of wire breakage, and programmable machining strategies to optimize the operation

Drilling EDM
Small hole drilling EDM is used to make a through hole in a workpiece in through which to thread the wire in Wire-cut EDM machining. The small hole drilling head is mounted on wire-cut machine and allows large hardened plates to have finished parts eroded from them as needed and without pre-drilling super drill or hole popper (deionized water) 100 mm in less than 10 seconds (50% to 80% wear) Holes of 0.3 mm to 6.1 mm can be achieved in this drilling operation. brass on brass" wire breakage. copper is recommended

Pros and cons of wire edm

low residual stresses not large cutting forces involved energy/power per pulse is relatively little (for finishing ) little change in the mechanical properties Although material not stress relieved can distort. undergo significant thermal cycle (-ve) The wire, which is constantly fed from a spool, is held between upper and lower guides. Tool wear is minimal because the cutting action is distributed over the entire length of the wire. The wire is reusable; however, possible wire breakage should be considered as a deterrent.

Cons
The slow rate of material removal The additional time and cost used for creating electrodes for ram / Sinker EDM Reproducing sharp corners on the workpiece is difficult due to electrode wear. Specific power consumption is very high.

EDM-grinding
when using a rotating disk as a toolelectrode

Application
The mould-making tool and die Prototype and production parts Aerospace, Automobile Electronics and Jewelry