Investigation of micro-EDM material removal characteristics using single RC-pulse discharges

Similar to EDM, in micro-EDM, intense heat is generated between the workpiece and tool electrode by the discharge through a dielectric medium to result in the formation of a microcrater that is much smaller in size. In this study, a single-spark generator has been developed to study the erosion characteristics from the microcrater size. Using a simple heat transfer model, the efficiency at different discharge condition is also deduced. It is found that at lower-energy (<50 muJ) discharges, the energy required to remove the unit volume of material, defined as the specific energy, is found to be much less than that at higher-energy discharges. Additionally, the ratio of the standard deviation to the measured microcrater size is found to be lower at lower discharge energy, indicating greater consistency in shape and size when the discharge occurs at lower energy. The fundamental erosion mechanism of material is discussed by considering melting and evaporation phenomena using theoretical modeling. The average efficiency of erosion, when estimated to be due primarily to melting or evaporation alone, is found to be up to an order of magnitude higher at lower-energy discharges than that at higher-energy discharges. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.