Development of micro-EDM machine with process parameter control for EDM drilling

One of the demanding manufacturing processes nowadays is Micro Electrical Discharge Machining (Micro-EDM). Micro-EDM drilling is used largely in the aerospace industry, producing cooling holes into aero blades and other components. Typically, a commercial micro-EDM machine is costly, bulky, and not suitable for small business enterprise (SME). Therefore, the objective of this paper is to develop a single purpose micro-EDM machine that is compact, cost-effective and can be catered towards small business enterprise (SME). The newly developed EDM machine was designed based on three aspects: CNC router design, power supply design and gap width monitoring design. Subsequently, the developed machine was compared to a commercialized DT-110 MIKROTOOLS EDM machine based on the material removal rate and taperness through the micro-EDM drilling process. An interesting observation was that the MRR of the new micro-EDM machine increased with feed rate value while the DT-110 showed the opposite trend. Overall, the result showed that the new developed micro-EDM machine was capable to produce similar performances to the DT-110 machine in term of micro-EDM drilling application