Abstract
Surface structures with micro-grooves have been reported to be an effective way for improving the performance of metallic components. Through-mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) is a promising process for fabricating micro-grooves. Due to the isotropic nature of metal dissolution, the dissolution of a workpiece occurs both along the width and depth. Overcut is generated inevitably with increasing depth, which makes it difficult to enhance machining localization. In this paper, a method of electrochemical machining using a conductive masked porous cathode and jet electrolyte supply is proposed to generate micro-grooves with high machining localization. In this configuration, the conductive mask is directly attached to the workpiece, thereby replacing the traditional insulated mask. This helps in achieving a reduction in overcut and an improvement in machining localization. Moreover, a metallic nozzle is introduced to supply a jetted electrolyte in the machining region with enhanced mass transfer via a porous cathode. The simulation and experimental results indicate that as compared with an insulated mask, the use of a conductive mask weakens the electric field intensity on both sides of machining region, which is helpful to reduce overcut and enhance machining localization. The effect of electrolyte pressure is investigated for this process configuration, and it has been observed that high electrolyte pressure enhances the mass transfer and improves the machining quality. In addition, as the pulse duty cycle is decreased, the dimensional standard deviation and roughness of the fabricated micro-groove are improved. The results suggest the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method.
Highlights
Together with the development of modern micromanufacturing technologies, the requirements for multiple product function integration and structure miniaturization are becoming more important
It can be seen that the electric field intensity using an insulated mask is greater than that obtained with a conductive mask at each position
This paper proposed a method of electrochemical machining of micro-grooves using a conductive masked porous cathode and jet electrolyte supply
Summary
Together with the development of modern micromanufacturing technologies, the requirements for multiple product function integration and structure miniaturization are becoming more important. Jet electrochemical machining (JEM) sprays high-speed electrolyte from the metal nozzle to the surface of the workpiece, which helps to generate deep micro-grooves, since the velocity of the electrolyte and the mass transfer effect of the machining process are improved. Zhang et al [24] developed a sandwich-like electrochemical micromachining (SLEMM) technology for reducing overcut and improving the dimensional uniformity of micro-dimples by enabling uniform distribution of the electric field in the machining region. In previous research [29], we have proposed a method of electrochemical machining of micro-grooves with masked porous cathode, the influence of different flow modes on the machining process was investigated, and a jet flow mode was optimized at last, which could improve the machining efficiency and dimensional uniformity. The porous cathode and mask can be re-used, and it could reduce the processing cost as well as improve the machining efficiency
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