Electroplasma Technologies for Cleaning, Polishing and Welding of Metals

The purpose of this work is to use new physical phenomena and processes for the development and creation of a technological complex of installations. Technological installations of various capacities have been developed and created on the basis of multi-channel discharge: 100, 60 and 25 kW. Installations for cleaning and polishing with the use of electric discharge plasma with liquid electrodes allow: to process parts of all sizes and shapes without deformation and force impact; to process surfaces of hard-to-reach places of complex parts; to exclude acids and alkalis from the technological process; to use safe reusable electrolytes (active metal salts); to remove foreign inclusions - corrosion centers; to have productivity and overall efficiency 3–5 times higher (compared to machining); electricity consumption is higher, however, the total operating costs are 3 times lower than with electrochemical processing; the equipment used is versatile - suitable for cleaning, polishing and welding. An example of the successful application of processing in installations is the removal of dielectric coatings (resins, paints, polymers), polishing of metal surfaces, welding of thin-walled metals. Experimental studies have shown that a multichannel discharge burns in the pressure range P = 105–104 Pa, with a further decrease in pressure; the multi-channel discharge turns into a volumetric discharge. Technological processes of cleaning and polishing are realized on the basis of multichannel discharge. On the basis of the volume discharge, the welding process in the electrolyte is realized. The technology for obtaining the required metal surface microrelief and welding of homogeneous and dissimilar metals has been developed. Pilot plants for cleaning, polishing and welding in electrolyte with a capacity of 100, 60 and 25 kW have been designed and built. Technological tests of the units were carried out, which showed the efficiency of the applied technology.