Abstract
Tungsten cemented carbide (WC-Co) is a widely applied material in micro-hole drilling, such as in suction nozzles, injection nozzles, and wire drawing dies, owing to its high wear resistance and hardness. Since the development of wire-electro-discharge grinding (WEDG) technology, the micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) has been excellent in the process of fabricating micro-holes in WC-Co material. Even though high-quality micro-holes can be drilled by micro-EDM, it is still limited in large-scale production, due to the electrode tool wear caused during the process. In addition, the high cost of precision micro-EDM is also a limitation for WC-Co micro-hole drilling. This study aimed to develop a low-cost desktop micro-EDM system for fabricating micro-holes in tungsten cemented carbide materials. Taking advantage of commercial micro tools in a desktop micro-EDM system, it is possible to reach half the amount of large-scale production of micro-holes. Meanwhile, it is difficult to drill the deep and high aspect ratio micro-holes using conventional micro-EDM, therefore, a cut-side micro-tool shaped for micro-EDM system drilling was exploited in this study. The results show that micro-holes with a diameter of 0.07 mm and thickness of 1.0 mm could be drilled completely by cut-side micro-tools. The roundness of the holes were approximately 0.001 mm and the aspect ratio was close to 15.
Highlights
Tungsten carbide (WC) is a materiel which is widely applied in military industrial composite, metallurgy, aerospace, and other important fields because of its excellent physical and chemical properties [1]
The micro-electrical discharge machining process is highly suitable for micro-hole fabrication because it is burr-free and efficient irrespective of the workpiece hardness, especially since the development of the wire-electro-discharge grinding (WEDG) technology [6,7,8]
The micro-EDM with three axis computer numerical control (CNC) controllers has been commercialized in the industry market [11]
Summary
Tungsten carbide (WC) is a materiel which is widely applied in military industrial composite, metallurgy, aerospace, and other important fields because of its excellent physical and chemical properties [1]. Micro-holes made from WC-Co are widely used as spraying nozzles, injection nozzles, and spinning nozzles, owing to their low wear and hardness [5] Machining processes, such as micro-mechanical drilling, laser machining (LBM), and electron beam machining (EBM), are typically used for the massor semi-mass production of micro-holes in WC-Co materials. These tools have proven to be commercially successful in low-cost mechanical drilling Using these commercially available micro-spindle tools, it was possible to achieve the semi-mass production of a WC-Co material with micro-holes drilled via a desktop micro-EDM system. In order to produce micro-holes with a high aspect ratio, a single-side notch electrode method was applied to flush debris The machining parameters, such as machining time, aspect ratio, spindle tool wear, and micro-hole quality, were investigated in this paper. It is expected that the desktop micro-EDM system will be potentially useful for drilling micro-holes in tungsten carbide materials
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
