Abstract
Laser beam micromachining (LBMM) and micro electro-discharge machining (μEDM) based sequential micromachining technique, LBMM-μEDM, has drawn significant research attention to utilize the advantages of both methods, i.e., LBMM and μEDM. In this process, a pilot hole is machined by the LBMM, and subsequently finishing operation of the hole is carried out by the μEDM. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the stainless steel (type SS304) to observe the effects of laser input parameters (namely, laser power, scanning speed, and pulse frequency) on the performance of the finishing technique, that is, the μEDM in this case. The scope of the work is limited to 1-D machining, i.e., drilling microholes. It was found that laser input parameters mainly scanning speed and power influenced the output performance of μEDM significantly. Our study suggests that if an increased scanning speed at a lower laser power is used for the pilot hole drilling by the LBMM process, it could result in significantly slower μEDM machining time. On the contrary, if the higher laser power is used with even the highest scanning speed for the pilot hole drilling, then μEDM processing time was faster than the previous case. Similarly, μEDM time was also quicker for LBMMed pilot holes machined at low laser power and slow scanning speed. Our study confirms that LBMM-μEDM-based sequential machining technique reduces the machining time, tool wear, and instability (in terms of short circuit count) by a margin of 2.5 x, 9 x, and 40 x, respectively, in contrast to the pure μEDM process without compromising the quality of the holes.
Highlights
Micromachining is one of the key technologies that has been developed to meet the challenges posed by the requirement of product miniaturizations
Our study suggests that if an increased scanning speed at a lower laser power is used for the pilot hole drilling by the Laser beam micromachining (LBMM) process, it could result in significantly slower μEDM machining time
Concerning the machining time, we found that high laser power and slow scanning speed to produce the pilot holes help to lower the machining time by the mEDM process, up to 250%
Summary
Micromachining is one of the key technologies that has been developed to meet the challenges posed by the requirement of product miniaturizations. Various micromachining techniques are used to create intricate parts in a dimensional range of less than 100 μm with tolerance and average surface roughness of sub-micrometre in electronics, aerospace, biomedical, MEMS (Micro Electromechanical System) and optical industries [1]. Micromachining can be classified into two major categories, namely beambased and tool-based micromachining. Ion beam, photolithography and electron beam micromachining are examples of beam-based micromachining. Are examples of tool-based micromachining [2][3]. According to Chavoshi et al [1], micromachining has successfully produced complex microstructure (both 2D and 3D) on a broader range of materials with a high level of precision; bridging the gap between macro and microdomain
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