ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE

MACHINING CASE STUDY

AND APPLICATIONS

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HISTORY OF EDM

• It was originally observed by Joseph Priestly in 1770

• Commercially developed in the mid 1970s
• This migration made EDM more widely available and appealing over
traditional machining processes.
• Electrical discharge machine (EDM) is commonly used in tool, die and
mould making industries for machining heat-treated tool steel
materials.

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PRINCIPLE OF EDM

• In this process the metal is removed from the work piece due to
erosion cause by rapidly recurring spark discharge between the tool
and work piece.
• The metal-removal process is performed by applying a pulsating
(ON/OFF) electrical charge of high-frequency current through the
electrode to the work piece.
• The metal is removed at a controlled rate.

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 Schematic diagram of EDM

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 Components of EDM.

• Servo system

• Power Supply

• Dielectric System

• Tool (Electrode)

• Work piece

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WORKING PRINCIPLE OF EDM

• The figure shows the mechanical set up and electrical set up and
electrical circuit for electro discharge machining.
• A thin gap about 0.025mm is maintained between the tool and work
piece by a servo system shown in figure.
• Both tool and work piece are submerged in a dielectric fluid
Kerosene/EDM oil/deionized water is very common type of liquid
dielectric although gaseous dielectrics can also be used in certain
Case.

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Case study
Journal title:
STUDY ON THE DRY ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING
Authors:
Irina Beşliu, Hans-Peter Schulze, Margareta Coteaţă, Dumitru
Amarandei1

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Abstract
• The dry electrical discharge machining is considered by the
researchers as an environment friendly machining process.
• To obtain holes by electrical discharge machining, tubular rotating
electrodes tools could be used.
• The paper presents a relatively simple device proposed to be used for
applying the dry electrical discharge drilling.
• For the applied operating conditions, the dry electrical discharge
drilling presents some advantages regarding the machined surface
quality and the electrode tool wear, in comparison with the
machining that uses liquid dielectric.
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Introduction
• Nowadays green production is the only rational strategy for companies to
obtain competitive advantages over the business competitors.
• Environment friendly manufacturing is the new trend even in the field of
metal parts production.
• Researchers focus in developing no-polluting ways to cut materials that
also ensures the technical requirements like high material removal rates,
surface accuracy, low tool wear, minimum roughness values etc.
• If the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is analyzed, the main
cause of environmental concerns is related to the use of mineral oil
based dielectric liquids. High temperature, chemical breakdown of these
dielectric liquids associated to the machining process generate toxic
fumes and sometimes even fire hazards.
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EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHES
• Some preliminary experimental researches were developed to prove the
possibility to perform holes by dry electrical discharge machining and using
relatively simple equipment.
• With this aim in view, equipment initially used to materialize an
electrochemical discharge machining was modified so that it could be used
for dry electrical discharge drilling.
• Essentially, the tubular electrode tool was clamped in a spring collet
attached to the end of a rotating shaft.
• This shaft received the motion by means of a belt drive, from a direct
current motor. The rotation speed of the electrode tool was established at
30 rev/min.
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Cont.,
• The tubular electrode tool was made of copper and its external
diameter was of 2 mm.
• The test piece material was a stainless steel containing 0.055 % C,
0.076 % Mo, 18.824 % Cr, 0.035 % W, 9.79 % Ni, 1.20 % Mn and 0.225
% Cu.
• The rectilinear alternative motion of the electrode tool was of 80
strokes per minute.
• The machining time was of about 1.5 minutes

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Wet machining
• Machining test was made by using the electrical discharge machining
with the immersion of the electrode tool in liquid dielectric. The
aspects of the two ring shaped holes obtained in the operating
conditions could be seen in figure.
• machined cavity was of about 0.19 mm.

Ring shaped cavity

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Dry machining
• Dry electrical discharge process and cavity of about 0.49 mm
• The images presented in figure highlights a better quality of the
machined surface in the case of the dry electrical discharge machining
process.
• when the air flow it does not allow the adhesion of the melted debris
to the test piece surfaces. For these operating conditions, the wear of
the electrode tool was lower in the case of the dry electrical discharge
machining process.

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cavity S 14
Tool wear comparison

External electrode tool wear in the case of the obtaining of

ring-shaped holes: a – by using liquid dielectric as working
liquid; b – by using dry electrical discharge machining
(electrode tool diameter: 2 mm; images achieved by
means of an optical microscope; magnification 60 x)

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Applications
• The EDM process is becoming a common method of making
prototype and production parts, especially in the aerospace,
automobile and electronics industries in which production quantities
are relatively low.
• It is used to machine extremely hard materials that are difficult to
machine like alloys, tool steels, tungsten carbides etc.
• It is used for forging, extrusion, wire drawing, thread cutting.
• It is used for internal thread cutting and helical gear cutting.
• Electric Discharge Machining has also made its presence felt in the
new fields such as sports, medical and surgical, instruments, optical,
including automotive R&D areas.
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CONCLUSIONS
• In this paper, One of the evolution tendencies of the researches and
application in the field of the electrical discharge machining concerns
the use of the dry or near – dry fluids as working medium.
• These preliminary experiments showed that for the considered
operating conditions, the surface quality and the electrode tool wear
are more advantageous in the case of the dry electrical discharge
process.

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References
• STUDY ON THE DRY ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING by Irina
Beşliu, Hans-Peter Schulze, Margareta Coteaţă, Dumitru Amarandei.

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