Development of new capabilities for micro electro-discharge machine

Abstract

Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) is a material removal process that relies on charges dissipated between the electrode and a conductive metal, submerged in a di-electric liquid. The main advantage of EDM or micro EDM allows more effective machining of accurate cavities or complex geometry in the micro scale level. This study describes the development of new capabilities for the existing micro-EDM machine specifically in two configurations; the employment of a rotary disk as the electrode; and the capability to perform a circular groove that varies in diameter and depth. The design and fabrication of the components that enables the configurations will be discussed subsequently in the later part of this report. Subsequently, the report will conclude the observations and comments extracted from the experiments conducted. Last but not least, possible recommendations of future work will be presented at the end of the text.