The effect of pulse shape in micro-EDM of Titanium alloy

Abstract

The need for miniaturization of a system requires the production of smaller components with high dimensional accuracy and as a result, machining process is increasingly being used in manufacturing of micro products. Producing micro products from a material like titanium, which possess high strength–weight ratio and excellent corrosion resistance, is the need of the hour. Micro-EDM is effectively used in manufacturing of micro products using electrically conductive material from super alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel alloy, etc. This study aims to investigate the impact of changing the shape of current pulses on the machining characteristics of a titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) using micro-EDM process. Different shapes of current pulses were studied, namely rectangular, Step-up, Step-down and Step-up-Step-down. The performance characteristics of the machining were examined by material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), overcut and energy consumed for machining.