Micro-EDM multiple parameter optimization for Cp titanium

Titanium and its alloys are being employed in various industries, e.g., aerospace, biomedical, dental, automobile, because of their very high strength, high hardness, low weight, resistance to corrosion, and very low wear rate. But its machining is always a matter of concern due to its difficult to machine nature by conventional means. Although electrical discharge machining (EDM) is suitable for machining titanium and its alloys, selection of machining parameters for higher machining rate and accuracy is a challenging task in machining micro-holes. The present research attempts to optimize micro-EDM process parameters for machining commercially pure (Cp) titanium. The metal removal rate (MRR), electrode wear rate (EWR), and overcut (OC) were chosen as observed performance criteria to verify the optimal micro-EDM process parameters settings. In addition, the process parameters like current, frequency, and width (pulse on time) were adopted for evaluation by Taguchi method-based grey relational analysis.