Micro-EDMing of SKD-5 die steel stimulated with magnetic field and ultrasonic vibration

Abstract

Electrical discharge machining is an essential process in the domain of micromachining. However, many issues need to be solved to implement it in the industrial field. Increasing the machining rate still remains a challenging task in case of micro electrical discharge machining. It becomes impossible to machine a microfeature at a larger depth. Numerous investigators have investigated the positive effect of assistance such as magnetic field and ultrasonic vibration. This paper the discusses machining performance by simultaneously applying the ultrasonic vibration and magnetic field to the machining zone in micro-electrical discharge machining. The process performance is analyzed by measuring the performance characteristics such as material removal rate and taper of the microfeature. The results confirmed that the cumulative effect of each assistance ends in a better material removal rate and low taper of the microfeature.