Powder mixed-electrical discharge machining (EDM) with the electrode is made by fused deposition modeling (FDM) at Ti-6Al-4V machining procedure

Abstract

Rapid prototyping (RP) is a collection of techniques, and it is used in many industries to make a robust model of a mechanical sample instantly. RP is usually implemented by employing 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) technology with three-dimensional modeling. In the context of RP, rapid tooling (RT) is the result of applying the RP with non-conventional tooling. RT causes many discharge channels between the electrode in electro-discharge machining (EDM). In our study, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is coated with a thin layer of copper and is used as an electrode tool in powder mixed electro-discharge machining (PM-EDM). We have employed the fused deposition modeling (FDM) method of rapid prototyping to improve the conductivity of the electrode tools for the PM-EDM. Cost, machining-time, and the quality of the surface are the significant outputs of the PM-EDM process for the fabrication of tools in sensitive industries. In our present research, a new kind of electrode is compared with a solid electrode with powder and without powder. Material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), and surface roughness (SR) have been measured for both scenarios. In this method, peak current, pulse-on time, and concentration of aluminium powder are the input parameters. We have also added a surfactant on kerosene for separating and distributing the powders. Our study demonstrates that the RP electrodes have the potential for utilizing the PM-EDM tools with complex shapes. The conventional processes do not make these complex shapes. Indeed, comparing the results of the output parameters in our proposed method with the PM-EDM existing methods indicates an improvement for MRR, TWR, and SR, by 33%, 31%, and 77%, respectively. Hence, the average surface quality, which is created by the PM-EDM, has been substantially improved. Thus, our proposed method is cost-effective, and it can be used to create various complex topologies, potentially in the medical and aerospace industries.