Fabrication and Experimental Investigation of Micro-fluidic Channel-Based Mixing System Using Micro-electric Discharge Machining

Abstract

Electric discharge machining (EDM) is an advanced machining process, which harnesses the energy of series of electrical sparks for material removal from the workpiece. EDM is not only limited to machining of mechanical components but also finds its applications in aerospace, biomedical and other fields. Owing to the miniaturization of components, the fabrication at micro level paved the way for the development of micro-EDM (µ-EDM) process. In this study, the principle of µ-EDM has been used for machining open micro-channels for the efficient mixing of different fluids using micro-fluidic system. Micro-fluidic channels are fabricated using a stainless steel tool and the effect of peak current, pulse-on time and spark time has been investigated. Channel width, channel depth and its surface roughness are the response parameters. Input parameters are identified for minimum surface roughness of micro-fluidic channels to provide efficient mixing while achieving desired mixing time and homogeneity.