Evaluation of performance characteristics on aluminium alloys 5083 in WEDM

Wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is extensively used in machining of conductive materials for high precision and accuracy results. This demand of high quality has given major challenges in machining tools and moulds. This study evaluates the machining performance characteristic of the WEDM on Aluminium Alloy 5083, in which used for mould making. Process parameters of WEDM that are pulse ON time (TON), pulse OFF time (TOFF), wire feed (WF), and servo voltage (SV) were varied to identify the significant factor and the effect on material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (Ra). Design Expert Software was used in design for experiment (DOE) with two-level of full factorial. Total of 18 experiments including 2 centre points performed on FANUC ROBOCUT ?-0iD WEDM machine. Results indicate that pulse ON time was the most significant out of all responses, while pulse OFF time influences the increase in MRR. Wire feed and interaction between pulse ON time and servo voltage have a significant role to obtain the minimum Ra. The mathematical models were established to correlate between the machining parameters and the responses. This research contributes to further understanding of the process capabilities for machining Aluminum Alloy 5083 using WEDM process as to produce high quality finish at high machining rate