Micromachining of nickel and nickel-based alloy surfaces using composite signal

Abstract

Electrochemical micromachining refers an unconventional technology in the field of machining. With this technology, the ultrashort pulse power supplies are extensively used to address the issue of excessive machining of non-processing areas. However, the reduction of pulse duration is the only effective strategy to enhance the processing accuracy in ultra-short pulse electrochemical microfabrication. Nonetheless, the high cost of equipment and unsuitability in practical production has limited its progress. To resolve this issue, this paper proposes the use of a composite signal in electrochemical micromachining instead of ultrashort pulses. By changing the signal waveform during machining, the energy required for processing can be reduced with the same electromotive force input, thereby reducing the current used to decompose the anode in the circuit and effectively improving machining accuracy. This approach was employed to manufacture micro-structures on a pure nickel sheet, achieving micron-scale accuracy. Moreover, the same level of superior machining accuracy can be achieved when machining micro-structures on hard-to-cut super alloy plates.