Analysis and control of inter-electrode gap during leveling process in counter-rotating electrochemical machining

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The inter-electrode gap (IEG) is an essential parameter for the anode shaping process in electrochemical machining (ECM) and directly affects the machining accuracy. In this paper, the IEG during the leveling process of an oval anode workpiece in counter-rotating ECM (CRECM) is investigated. The variation of the minimum IEG is analyzed theoretically, and the results indicate that rather than reaching equilibrium, the minimum IEG in CRECM expands constantly when a constant feed speed is used for the cathode tool. This IEG expansion leads to a poor localization effect and has an adverse influence on the roundness of the machined workpiece. To maintain a small constant IEG in CRECM, a variable feed speed is used for the cathode based on a fitted equation. The theoretical results show that the minimum IEG can be controlled at a small value by using an accelerated feed speed. Experiments have been conducted using a specific experimental apparatus in which the cathode tool is designed as a combined structure of two sectors and a thin sheet. By detecting the machining currents flowing through the minimum IEG, how the latter varies is obtained indirectly. The results indicate that using an accelerated feed speed is effective for controlling the IEG, thereby improving the roundness of the machined workpiece.