Machinability study on German silver using wire-EDM

Abstract

Presently manufacturing industries are facing challenges to machine advanced materials like super alloys, ceramics, and composites. The conventional machining is often facing difficulties to meet the challenges due to improved properties of these new materials. So to fulfill the industrial demands various unconventional machining processes are introduced. Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) is one of those processes which can easily machine electrically conductive materials. This work mainly focuses on the machinability study of the German-Silver using Wire-EDM. Moreover, the effect of input parameters on output responses has also been studied. Taguchi’s L16 orthogonal array has been introduced to observe the effect of control parameters like pulse on time, pulse off time, peak current and table feed on performance measures such as material removal rate and kerf width. Using overall evaluation criteria (OEC) the optimal combination of process parameters has also been identified which can give better material removal rate along with minimal kerf width.