Gap width control in electrical discharge machining, using type-2 fuzzy controllers

Abstract

This paper presents a new method for controlling the gap distance between the electrode and the workpiece in an electrical discharge machining (EDM) system. Due to the highly nonlinear and time-varying nature of the EDM process, conventional gap width control methods do not perform efficiently, and their parameters need frequent tuning to achieve stable and efficient machining. The proposed gap control method uses an intelligent type-2 fuzzy logic inference system to control the gap distance between the electrode and the workpiece. The main advantage of this proposed method is its robustness to variations in machining conditions. In addition to removing the need for constant parameter tuning, the proposed control system results in enhanced accuracy and stability in the control performance.