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Special Issue "Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II"

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A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D：Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2022) | Viewed by 16276

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irene Fassi

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Guest Editor

Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council (STIIMA-CNR), 13900 Bari, Italy
Interests: micro manufacturing; micro robotics; micro assembly; micro EDM; micro injection molding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Francesco Modica

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Guest Editor

Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council, 70124 Bari, Italy
Interests: micro EDM; micro manufacturing; additive manufacturing; virtual prototyping
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Micro Electrical Discharge Machining (micro-EDM) is a thermo-electric and contactless process most suited for micro-manufacturing and high-precision machining, especially when difficult-to-cut materials, such as super alloys, composites, and electro conductive ceramics, are processed. Among the various micro-machining processes, micro-EDM is known to have many industrial applications, such as high-aspect-ratio micro holes for fuel injectors, high-precision moulds, and biomedical components. The main issues restricting the application of micro-EDM involve handling and fixturing, electrode and workpiece preparation, process parameter optimization, the identification and minimization of source of errors as tool wear, and measurement issues.

In the recent past, numerous EDM systems have been developed for performing micro- and nano-scale EDM. These systems use newer control strategies and optimization methodologies to perform the EDM processes.

This Special Issue pursues contributions (research papers, short communications, and review articles) that focus on recent developments in micro-EDM machining. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

Process mechanism modeling and simulation;
Process monitoring and control;
Parameters optimization;
Tool wear management;
Novel machine concept;
New material processing;
Dielectrics;
High-aspect-ratio features and surface texturing;
Hybrid machining;
New application of micro-EDM process.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Irene Fassi
Dr. Francesco Modica
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Micro EDM
Parameters optimization
Process simulation
Tool wear
Difficult-to-cut material

Related Special Issues

Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, 3rd Edition in Micromachines (6 articles)
Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications in Micromachines (14 articles)

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 182 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial for the Special Issue on Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II

Irene Fassi

and

Francesco Modica

Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010029 - 23 Dec 2022

Viewed by 758

Abstract

The second volume of the Special Issue on “Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications” confirms the growing interest in the micro-EDM technology as a suitable and efficient technology for machining novel, multi-material components, with demanding requirements in terms of precision, accuracy [...] Read more.

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

25 pages, 3648 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficiency Optimization of the Electroerosive Process in µ-WEDM of Steel MS1 Sintered Using DMLS Technology

and

Micromachines 2022, 13(9), 1446; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13091446 - 01 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 784

Abstract

Although the application of mathematical optimization methods for controlling machining processes has been the subject of much research, the situation is different for µ-WEDM. This fact has prompted us to fill the gap in this field in conjunction with investigating µ-WEDM’s very low productivity and overall process efficiency, since the current trend is oriented towards achieving high quality of the machined area at a high manufacturing productivity. This paper discusses in detail the application of non-linear programming (NLP) methods using MATLAB to maximize the process performance of µ-WEDM maraging steel MS1 sintered using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technology. The novelty of the solution lies mainly in the selection of efficient approaches to determine the optimization maximum on the basis of a solution strategy based on multi-factor analysis. The main contribution of this paper is the obtained mathematical-statistical computational (MSC) model for predicting high productivity and quality of the machined area with respect to the the optimal efficiency of the electrical discharge process in the µ-WEDM of maraging steel MS1 material. During the experimental research and subsequent statistical processing of the measured data, a local maximum of 0.159 mm³·min⁻¹ for the MRR parameter and a local minimum of 1.051 µm for the Rz parameter were identified simultaneously during µ-WEDM maraging steel MS1, which was in the range of the predicted optimal settings of the main technological parameters (MTP). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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21 pages, 9563 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Direct Observation of Discharge Phenomena in Vibration-Assisted Micro EDM of Array Structures

Gero Esser

and

Jiwang Yan

Micromachines 2022, 13(8), 1286; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13081286 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1143

Abstract

The batch mode electrical discharge machining (EDM) method has been developed to improve the throughput and accuracy in fabricating array structures, but the process suffers from insufficient debris removal caused by the complex electrode geometry. Tool vibration has been used to improve flushing conditions, but to date the underlying mechanism of the tool vibration on the micro EDM of array structures remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of tool vibration on the machining process by direct observation of the discharge phenomena in the discharge gap by using a high-speed camera. Micro EDM experiments using 9 and 25 array electrodes were performed, and the effect of tool vibration on the discharge uniformity and tool wear was evaluated. It was found that tool vibration improved the uniformity of the discharge distribution, increased the machining efficiency, and suppressed the tool wear. The discharges occurred in periodic intervals, and the intensity increased with the amplitude of tool vibration. The results of this study indicate that the vibration parameters determine the discharge period duration and intensity to achieve optimum stability and efficiency of the machining process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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19 pages, 3444 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parametric Optimization and Influence of Near-Dry WEDM Variables on Nitinol Shape Memory Alloy

Danil Yurievich Pimenov

and

Khaled Giasin

Micromachines 2022, 13(7), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13071026 - 28 Jun 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1245

Abstract

Nitinol-shape memory alloys (SMAs) are widely preferred for applications of automobile, biomedical, aerospace, robotics, and other industrial area. Therefore, precise machining of Nitinol SMA plays a vital role in achieving better surface roughness, higher productivity and geometrical accuracy for the manufacturing of devices. Wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) has proven to be an appropriate technique for machining nitinol shape memory alloy (SMA). The present study investigated the influence of near-dry WEDM technique to reduce the environmental impact from wet WEDM. A parametric optimization was carried out with the consideration of design variables of current, pulse-on-time (T_on), and pulse-off-time (T_off) and their effect were studied on output characteristics of material removal rate (MRR), and surface roughness (SR) for near-dry WEDM of nitinol SMA. ANOVA was carried out for MRR, and SR using statistical analysis to investigate the impact of design variables on response measures. ANOVA results depicted the significance of the developed quadratic model for both MRR and SR. Current, and T_on were found to be major contributors on the response value of MRR, and SR, respectively. A teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm was employed to find the optimal combination of process parameters. Single-response optimization has yielded a maximum MRR of 1.114 mm³/s at T_on of 95 µs, T_off of 9 µs, current of 6 A. Least SR was obtained at T_on of 35 µs, T_off of 27 µs, current of 2 A with a predicted value of 2.81 µm. Near-dry WEDM process yielded an 8.94% reduction in MRR in comparison with wet-WEDM, while the performance of SR has been substantially improved by 41.56%. As per the obtained results from SEM micrographs, low viscosity, reduced thermal energy at IEG, and improved flushing of eroded material for air-mist mixture during NDWEDM has provided better surface morphology over the wet-WEDM process in terms of reduction in surface defects and better surface quality of nitinol SMA. Thus, for obtaining the better surface quality with reduced surface defects, near-dry WEDM process is largely suitable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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20 pages, 12698 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Micro Electrical Discharge Machining of Ultrafine Particle Type Tungsten Carbide Using Dielectrics Mixed with Various Powders

Sai Dutta Gattu

and

Jiwang Yan

Micromachines 2022, 13(7), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13070998 - 25 Jun 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1201

Abstract

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is widely used to machine hard materials, such as tungsten carbide; however, the machining rate and surface quality are low. In this research, the effects of mixing electrically conductive carbon nanofiber (CnF), semiconductive silicon (Si) powder, and insulative alumina powder (Al₂O₃) at different concentrations in a dielectric fluid were studied by observing single discharge craters and hole machining performance in the EDM of ultrafine particle type tungsten carbide. Craters obtained using carbon nanofiber and alumina were much smaller than in oil-only conditions. In contrast, The results show that adding CnF significantly improved the material removal rate under all conditions. Si and Al₂O₃ powders only improved the machining performance at a high discharge energy of 110 V. Furthermore, improvement in surface roughness was observed prominently at high voltages for all the powders. Among the three powders, alumina was found to improve the surface roughness the most. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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17 pages, 6604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Implementation of Micro-EDM Monitoring System to Fabricate Antimicrobial Nanosilver Colloid

Kuo-Hsiung Tseng

Meng-Yun Chung

and

Juei-Long Chiu

Micromachines 2022, 13(5), 790; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13050790 - 18 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1161

Abstract

This study implemented a discharge energy and success-rate monitoring system to replace the traditional oscillograph observation method and conducted a microbial control test for a nanosilver colloid prepared by an Electrical Discharge Machine (EDM). The advantage of this system is that the discharge conditions can be instantly and continuously observed, and the optimized discharge parameter settings can be recorded. The monitoring system can use the arcing rate to control the energy consumption of the electrodes to standardize the nanosilver colloid. The results show that the arcing rate, electrode weight loss, and absorption peak wavelength are very accurate. The nanosilver colloid prepared by EDM is free of any chemical additive, and in comparison to other preparation methods, it is more applicable to biotechnology, even to the human body. The microbial control test for the nanosilver colloid included a Bathroom sample, Penicillium, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus. In test solution NO.1 (prepared by micro-EDM), the effects of all four samples were inhibited at 14mm in a metal ring experiment, and in the cotton pad experiment, Penicillium was inhibited at 17 mm. In the metal ring experiment, test solution NO. 2 (prepared by EDM) had an effect at 20 mm on the bathroom samples, but at only 15 mm on flavus. In the cotton pad experiment, the inhibited effect was more effective in Penicillium and Aspergillus Niger; both inhibited effects occurred at 25 mm. Test solutions NO.3 (prepared by micro-EDM) and NO.4 (32 ppm Ag+) had a 14–15 mm effect on all samples in the metal ring experiment. In the cotton pad experiment, NO.3 had an effect on Penicillium at 19 mm while the effect on the others occurred at 14 mm, and NO.4 had an effect at 25 mm in Penicillium and Aspergillus Niger, and only at 14 mm in the bathroom and Aspergillus flavus samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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17 pages, 7367 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laser Micromachining in Fabrication of Reverse-µEDM Tools for Producing Arrayed Protrusions

Hreetabh Kishore

Chandrakant Kumar Nirala

and

Anupam Agrawal

Micromachines 2022, 13(2), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13020306 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1673

Abstract

This paper focuses on the fabrication of high-quality novel products using a µEDM process variant called Reverse-µEDM. The tool plate required for the Reverse-µEDM is fabricated using Nd: YAG-based laser beam micromachining (LBµM) at the optimized process parameters. The Grey relation analysis technique is used for optimizing LBµM parameters for producing tool plates with arrayed micro-holes in elliptical and droplet profiles. Titanium sheets of 0.5 mm thickness were used for such micro-holes, which can be used as a Reverse-µEDM tool. The duty cycle (a combination of pulse width and frequency) and current percentage are considered as significant input process parameters for the LBµM affecting the quality of the micro-holes. A duty cycle of 1.25% and a current of 20% were found to be an optimal setting for the fabrication of burr-free shallow striation micro-holes with a minimal dimensional error. Thereafter, analogous protrusions of high dimensional accuracy and minimum deterioration were produced by Reverse-µEDM using the LBµM fabricated tool plates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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14 pages, 796 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Parametric Optimization of Electric Discharge Machining of Metal Matrix Composites Using Analytic Hierarchy Process

Sarabjeet Singh Sidhu

Timur Rizovich Ablyaz

Preetkanwal Singh Bains

Karim Ravilevich Muratov

Evgeny Sergeevich Shlykov

and

Vladislav Vitalyevich Shiryaev

Micromachines 2021, 12(11), 1289; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12111289 - 21 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1038

Abstract

The present study reports on the method used to obtain the reliable outcomes for different responses in electric discharge machining (EDM) of metal matrix composites (MMCs). The analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multiple criteria decision-making technique, was used to achieve the target outcomes. The process parameters were varied to evaluate their effect on the material erosion rate (MER), surface roughness (SR), and residual stresses (σ) following Taguchi’s experimental design. The process parameters, such as the electrode material (Cu, Gr, Cu-Gr), current, pulse duration, and dielectric medium, were selected for the analysis. The residual stresses induced due to the spark pulse temperature gradient between the electrode were of primary concern during machining. The optimum process parameters that affected the responses were selected using AHP to figure out the most suitable conditions for the machining of MMCs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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26 pages, 13128 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Investigation into Accumulative Difference Mechanism in Time and Space for Material Removal in Micro-EDM Milling

and

Micromachines 2021, 12(6), 711; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12060711 - 17 Jun 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1728

Abstract

In micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) milling, the cross-section of the microgroove machine is frequently not an ideal rectangle. For instance, there are arc shapes on the bottom and corners, and the sidewall is not steep. The theoretical explanation for this phenomenon is still lacking. In addition to the tip discharge effect, the essential reason is that there is an accumulative difference in time and space during the shape change process of a tool electrode and the microstructure formation on a workpiece. The process parameters are critical influencing factors that determine this accumulative difference. Therefore, the accumulative difference mechanism in time and space is investigated in this paper, and then a theoretical model is developed to simulate the micro-EDM milling process with a straight-line single path. The simulation results for a cylindrical electrode at the two rotational speeds of 0 (nonrotating) and 300 rpm are compared, while the results for a cylindrical electrode and a square electrode at a rotation speed of 0 are also compared to verify that different process parameters generate accumulative differences in the time and space of material removal. Finally, micro-EDM milling experiments are carried out to verify the simulation model. The maximum mean relative deviation between the microgroove profiles of simulation results and those of experiments is 11.09%, and the profile shapes of simulations and experiments have a good consistency. A comparative experiment between a cylindrical electrode and a hollow electrode is also performed, which further verifies the mechanism revealed in the study. Furthermore, the cross-section profile of a microgroove can be effectively controlled by adjusting the process parameters when utilising these accumulative differences through fabricating a microgroove with a V-shaped cross-section by a square electrode and a microgroove with a semi-circular cross-section by a cylindrical electrode. This research provides theoretical guidance for solving the problems of the machining accuracy of detail features in micro-EDM milling, for instance, to machine a microgroove with an ideal rectangular cross-section. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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14 pages, 4514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Wire-Cut Electro Discharge Machining of Polymer Composite Materials

Timur Rizovich Ablyaz

Evgeny Sergeevich Shlykov

Karim Ravilevich Muratov

and

Sarabjeet Singh Sidhu

Micromachines 2021, 12(5), 571; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12050571 - 18 May 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2654

Abstract

This study presents the analysis of wire-cut electro-discharge machining (WIRE-EDM) of polymer composite material (PCM). The conductivity of the workpiece is improved by using 1 mm thick titanium plates (layers) sandwiched on the PCM. Input process parameters selected are variable voltage (50–100 V), pulse duration (5–15 μs), and pause time (10–50 μs), while the cut-width (kerf) is recognized as an output parameter. Experimentation was carried out by following the central composition design (CCD) design matrix. Analysis of variance was applied to investigate the effect of process parameters on the cut-width of the PCM parts and develop the theoretical model. The results demonstrated that voltage and pulse duration significantly affect the cut-width accuracy of PCM. Furthermore, the theoretical model of machining is developed and illustrates the efficacy within the acceptable range. Finally, it is concluded that the model is an excellent way to successfully estimate the correction factors to machine complex-shaped PCM parts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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13 pages, 4093 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Magnetic Field Environment on the EDM Performance of Al-SiC Metal Matrix Composite

Timur Rizovich Ablyaz

Preetkanwal Singh Bains

Sarabjeet Singh Sidhu

Karim Ravilevich Muratov

and

Evgeny Sergeevich Shlykov

Micromachines 2021, 12(5), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12050469 - 21 Apr 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1603

Abstract

In the present work, a hybrid magnetic field assisted powder mixed electrical discharge machining had been carried out on the Aluminum-Silicon Carbide (Al-SiC) metal matrix composite. The aim of the study was to obtain higher surface finish, and enhanced material removal rate. The dielectric mediums employed were plain EDM oil, SiCp mixed and graphite powder mixed EDM oil for flushing through the tube electrode. The magnetic field intensity, discharge current, T-on/off duration and type of dielectric were the control variables used for present investigation. From the results, it was observed that the machining variables for instance, discharge current, T-on/off duration and type of dielectric conditions remarkably affected the material removal rate, micro-hardness and surface roughness of the machined composite material. The MRR augmented considerably with an increase in the magnetic field intensity along with peak current. Subsequently, the composite with lesser vol.% of SiC particulates witnessed sharp rise in MRR in maximum magnetic field environment (0.66T). In addition, quality of the machined surface improved significantly in graphite powder mixed dielectric flushing condition with intermediate external magnetic field environment. Besides, an enhancement of micro-hardness was quantified as compared to base material due to the transfer of the material (SiCp) during powder mixed ED machining. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro-Electro Discharge Machining: Principles, Recent Advancements and Applications, Volume II)

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