Characteristics of Ternary Metal (Cu-Ni-TiN) Electrodes Used in an Electrical Discharge Machining Process

Abstract

In the industrial field, electric discharge machining (EDM) is the most commonly used non-traditional machining process because it has the potential to machine electrically conductive materials of high hardness. To satisfy the need for rapid and economical fabrication of EDM electrodes, techniques that use the addition of more metal in the manufacturing process are gaining in popularity. This study presents an investigation of the characterization of ternary metals (Cu–Ni–TiN) for EDM electrodes by using powder metallurgy, which leads to enhancement of the mechanical properties, such as the hardness, electrical properties, and other properties, for the formation of Cu in Ni-TiN electrodes using a cold press at pressures of 18, 20, and 22 MPa. The influences of the parameters of this process were identified for the betterment of Cu–Ni–TiN on the surface. The specimens were calcined in a furnace at 1100 °C for 1 h, with a mixture of argon and hydrogen gas as a controlled gas in the ratio of 95:5. The specimens were investigated in terms of hardness, electric resistivity, apparent density, and porosity. The results show that the 80% Cu–3% Ni–17% TiN electrode at 18 MPa had the highest hardness (124.38 HV) and the lowest electric resistivity (0.39188 cm), while the specimen increased Cu with a ratio of 85% Cu–3% Ni–12% TiN, and a pressure of 20 MPa was found to have the highest density (8.5472 g/cm3) and the lowest porosity (6.2922%). As a further confirmation of the above results, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the surfaces of the specimens exhibited major phases that supported the ternary Cu–Ni–TiN phase. However, we also achieved the successful use of Cu–Ni–TiN electrodes as a titanium source (as an alternative to the conventional metal powder) to provide a novel approach to fabricating composite electrodes through the EDM process.