Experimental study of micro-prismatic electrode array wear during EDM and application to the preparation of microcylindrical electrode array

The focus of this study is to compare the wear characteristics of different types of micro-prismatic electrode array during EDM, and to propose a method for preparing microcylindrical electrode array based on micro-prismatic electrode array. Firstly, the characteristic of the micro-prismatic electrode that the front cross-section becomes circular after wear during EDM is clarified, and the wear form of the micro-prismatic electrode is analyzed. Then, the laws of the influence of electrode shape (triangle, square, hexagon), electrode material (pure copper, copper-tungsten alloy, pure tungsten), electrode size (200 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm) on the wear characteristics of the micro-prismatic electrode array, including the length of the wear of each part of the electrodes, the length of the area of the front cross-section that becomes rounded, the consistency of the wear of the electrode array, the machining efficiency, and electrode wear rate are summarized. After that, the process of changing the electrode array from square columns to cylinders using the new method is given, which confirms the feasibility of the method. Finally, the effects of peak current and pulse width on the size, machining efficiency, surface roughness, and surface micro-morphology of micro-cylindrical electrode array prepared by the new method are summarized. This study is of great significance for achieving mass production of microcylindrical electrode array.