Investigating the effect of cryogenic treatment of workpieces and tools on electrical discharge machining performance

Abstract

In this competitive world, manufacturers must embrace new technology in order to differentiate their products and capture market leadership. This can be achieved using advanced materials; however, these materials are difficult to machine by using traditional machining processes. A very viable and practical unconventional machining process is electrical discharge machining (EDM). EDM processes need proper selection of input parameters to get optimum productivity aspects, namely, the material removal rate and tool wear rate. Thus, the present study aims at investigating the effect of cryogenically treated work pieces and tools, gap currents, gap voltages, pulse on time and pulse off time on the material removal rate and tool wear rate during EDM of Nitinol (NiTi) alloy, Monel (NiCu) alloy and beryllium copper (BeCu) alloy. The experimental results showed that cryogenic treatment significantly improved the electrical conductivity of the workpieces and tool electrodes, which resulted in an enhanced material removal rate and reduced tool wear rate.