Design and Development of Die Sink Electrical Discharge Machine for Melting Point and Removal Rate of Materials

In this world of advanced technology., unconventional Micro-EDM technology has shown extraordinary interest in the development of microstructure. This work presents the development of the Die Sink EDM machine and investigates the relation and effect of melting point of the electrode materials on Material Removal Rate (MRR) by machining on brass and steel. Unlike traditional Lathe and Milling Machines, the Die Sink EDM machine is an environmentally friendly thermal process that generates sparks to melt workpiece materials at high temperature. The removal of workpiece materials depends on the melting point of the electrodes. In addition, the Flow System was used to remove debris from the dielectric fluid and to act as an insulator to cool the workpiece. Overall, it is concluded that the materials with higher melting points took longer to process than materials with lower melting points. Moreover, electrode materials with high material removal rate (MRR) provided more Surface Roughness.

I. Introduction

The Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) process began when the English scientist Joseph Priestly noticed the erosiveness of electric discharges around 1770. The first attempt to machine diamonds and metals was made in 1930, and the process of “arc or spark machining” was labeled [1]–[3]. During the 2nd World War, Russian scientists B.R. and N.I. Lazarenko conducted research, minimized the usage of electrical contacts, and found solutions for expensive materials. They utilized an RC circuit and loaded some energy into the condenser. In 1943, B.R. Lazarenko suggested that “the effect of wear on electrical power contacts must be converted into a good result for the processing of the metal workpiece, and to achieve an improvement of the effect of wear for electrical contact usage” [4] – [6].