Material Selection for PMEDM Process

Abstract

Powder Mixed Electro-Discharge Machining (PMEDM) is a non-traditional machining process. This method is used more and more to machine complex surfaces, parts made from materials with high hardness. Three indispensable components in PMEDM are powder, dielectric fluid and electrode. These components have a great influence on the efficiency of the machining process. This study was conducted to choose the best types for all three components mentioned above. The numbers of powder types, dielectric fluid types and electrode material types considered were ten, three and seven, respectively. The weight of each criterion in each product category was calculated using the two methods Rank Order Centroid (ROC) and Rank Sum (RS). In each case, the two methods were used to rank the alternatives are Faire Un Choix Adéquat (FUCA) (in French) and Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution (MARCOS). The optimal option will be found from the results of ranking the alternatives. The results of ranking the alternatives were also subjected to sensitivity analysis by using Sperman coefficient. This study discovered that the best option found when using the FUCA method is also the best option found when using the MARCOS method, and the best option that was found does not depend on the used weighting method.