Improvement of ECM characteristics by applying ultrasonic vibration

In this study, a technique to remove the byproducts from the interelectrode area of an electrochemical machining (ECM) tool was investigated. Our goal was to improve both the processing speed and replicating accuracy of the ECM process. This technique involves the application of ultrasonic vibration to the tool electrode. The influence of the direction and the amplitude on the processing speed and the replicating accuracy was experimentally investigated. It was found that both the processing speed and the replicating accuracy had improved. In addition, the largest processing speed and the highest replicating accuracy were obtained by applying complex ultrasonic vibration. Next, an experimental hole was drilled to remove byproducts, via machining with tool feeding in the normal direction to the workpiece surface. In addition, we experimentally investigated the influence of the feed rate on the processing speed and the replicating accuracy. It was found that a higher feeding rate improved both the processing speed and the replicating accuracy.

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