A Study on Performance of Electrodes for EDM Applications Produced through Rapid Tooling Route

Abstract

Electrical Discharge machining is the most widely used non-traditional machining process which finds extensive application in the manufacturing of complicated shapes which are practically imposable to manufacture by any other conventional machining process. It has the special ability to cut any electrically newlineconductive material irrespective of its hardness. Due to this special ability it is very much the integral part of newlineall mould and die making industries. It is also being used for manufacturing prototype and production parts, newlineespecially in the aerospace, automobile and electronics industries. The use of EDM has grown exponentially newlinein last few decades. With development and technological advancement the use of EDM will again grow in the newlineyears to come. In EDM like any machining operation the objectives are to get better Material Removal Rate newlinewith reduced Tool Wear Rate and improved Surface Finish (lower Surface Roughness). So an effective newlinemethod to find out the optimum process parameters for multiple performance characteristics in EDM newlineapplications is very much essential. newlineAny electrically conducted material can be machined in EDM. But D2 steel finds extensive application in die newlinemaking. Dies are often of complicated shape and EDM is the best suited machining operation to meet such newlinedemand. Due to this in the experiment D2 steel has been used as a workpiece. D2 steel is also tough and has newlinegreater strength as well as very good wear resistant. Due to these properties D2 steel is termed as one of the newlinedifficult to machine material which presents a major test during machining. newlineRapid Prototyping (RP) is a common term for a group of technologies which enable manufacturing of newlinephysical objects using CAD data source. The conventional machining and forming methods are based on newlinesubtractive and formative principles respectively where as RP methods are based on additive principles to newlinegenerate parts. Rapid tooling (RT) is an evolution from RP. It is the capability to form prototype tools directly, newlineas compared to prototy