Characterization of positive and negative pulses from a commercial RC based pulse generator in micro-EDM milling

Resistor-capacitor (RC) based pulse generators are commonly used in micro-EDM applications thanks to their ability to provide very low energy pulses to remove volume of material per spark. Tool wear however can still be significant, crucially affecting the machining accuracy. In this work, the characteristics of the discharging pulses with respect to a given set of machining conditions and pulse generator are studied. This research will enable the further development of tool wear control and prediction models.status: publishe