Abstract
In this paper, development of a technical model of micro Electrical Discharge Machining in milling configuration (EDM milling) is presented. The input to the model is a parametrically presented feature geometry and the output is a feature machining time. To model key factors influencing feature machining time, an experimental campaign by machining various microgrooves into corrosive resistant steel was executed. The following parameters were investigated: electrode dressing time, material removal rate, electrode wear, electrode wear control time and machining strategy. The technology data and knowledge base were constructed using data obtained experimentally. The model is applicable for groove-like features, commonly applied in bottom grooved micromixers (BGMs), with widths from 40 to 120 µm and depths up to 100 µm. The optimization of a BGM geometry is presented as a case study of the model usage. The mixing performances of various micromixer designs, compliant with micro EDM milling technology, were evaluated using computational fluid dynamics modelling. The results show that slanted groove micromixer is a favourable design to be implemented when micro EDM milling technology is applied. The presented technical model provides an efficient design optimization tool and, thus, aims to be used by a microfluidic design engineer.
Highlights
Micromachining plays a crucial role in bringing new chemical, medical, optical, automotive and semiconductor applications and products to market [1,2]
The mixing efficiency of the bottom grooved micromixers (BGMs) is critically dependent on the geometry of one groove, which is defined by its width and depth, its basic shape, namely slanted (SG) or staggered herringbone (SH), and their number and orientation in a mixer configuration
The results show that tED depends on the electrode working length lWL and obtained accuracy of the electrode diameter in the first step of the dressing
Summary
Micromachining plays a crucial role in bringing new chemical, medical, optical, automotive and semiconductor applications and products to market [1,2]. The industry strives for shorter cycle times to minimize the manufacturing costs. The research field that largely benefited from microengineering technologies (MET) development is microreactor technology, which exploits microstructured devices for realization of (bio)chemical processes [3,4]. A microreactor is commonly understood to be a continuous flow reactor which utilizes microchannels and similar micro features in order to manipulate flow of reactants. The basic configuration of a microreactor consists of a micromixer, a reaction unit and a separator. The micromixer, as a crucial functional part of the microreactor with the task of mixing reactants, usually represents the most challenging geometry to be machined
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