Experimental Characterization of Resource Efficient Process Chains for Electrochemical Precision Machining of Form-bore Patterns

Abstract

In different applications like extrusion dies, heat exchangers or fuel cells the manufacturing of bore patterns or form-bore patterns in high-strength metal workpieces is required. This can result in a high number of mechanical drilling operations. Mechanical drilling reaches its technological limits if non-axially symmetric form-bores are required.An alternative manufacturing technology is electrochemical precision machining (PECM). This removal method bases of the anodic metal dissolution with pulsed current and oscillating cathode. Using a movement of the cathode in z direction an external geometric shape of a cathode is transferred into the workpiece. Through the removal principle, non-axially symmetric bores with high geometrical accuracy are machinable. Furthermore, PECM can be used to machine high-strength metals and hardened metals.This study presents an experimental characterization of different resource efficient process chains for machining a form-bore pattern of 1225 bores with square bore cross sections. The process chain designs consider a reduction of the required maximum electric current by an increased number of cathodes. In the removal experiments a hardened wear-resistant steel material WOV 555 is electrochemically machined applying a commercial PECM machining type PEMCenter 8000. Based on the experimental results the resource efficiency of the process chains is evaluated.