EFFECT OF THE TOOL SURFACE AREA AND WORKPIECE VIBRATION ON THE μEDM PERFORMANCE

Abstract

This work investigates the influence of tool surface area (TSA) on the average surface roughness ([Formula: see text], tool wear rate (TWR) and material removal rate (MRR) in the micro-electrical discharge machining ([Formula: see text]EDM). The effects of three different TSAs were investigated at three different discharge energy settings. It was observed that the TSA had substantial influence on [Formula: see text]EDM performance owing to scaling effect. Therefore, the low-frequency workpiece vibration was applied to improve the [Formula: see text]EDM performance. The surface topography of machined surfaces was examined using scanning electron microscopy to disclose the effect of TSA as well as vibration frequency on [Formula: see text]EDMed surfaces.