Study on effect of process parameters on overcut and tool wear rate during micro-electro-discharge slotting process

Efficiency of any machining process firmly depends on the final outcome and its effectiveness, irrespective of the regime at which it is being carried out. This study attempts to discuss the effect of various electrical and non-electrical parameters on responses like overcut and tool wear rate during generation of micro-slots by micro-electro-discharge slotting (μ-EDS) process. Effect of current, gap voltage, pulse ON time, pulse OFF time, scanning speed of the tool electrode, and aspect ratio of the micro-slots to be generated on overcut and tool wear rate has been studied using Taguchi’s methodology. Results suggest that current has the most statistically significant effect on overcut. In case of tool wear rate, scanning speed of the tool electrode is observed to be the most dominant factor. Further, possibility of application of μ-EDS for generation of features other than linear slots has been investigated and encouraging results observed.

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