INFLUENCE OF THE ELECTROLYTE FLOW AND CLEANING AIR PRESSURE ON THE OVERCUT IN BIPOLAR PULSED ELECTROCHEMICAL MICRO-MACHINING PROCESSES

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the reduction of overcutting in the bipolar pulsed electrochemical pulsed machining process. It is described how this unconventional manufacturing method, which involves the anodic dissolution of a metal part immersed in an electrolytic medium, can be improved by incorporating compressed air as a residue-cleaning medium and modifying the electrolyte flow rate to reduce overcutting. These results can be helpful for the inclusion of these variables in process control systems and generate significant improvements in the fabrication of components at micrometer scales. Keywords: micromachining, electrochemical machining, overcut, electrolyte, automatic processes.