Experimentation for Improvement in Surface Properties and Process Optimization of Die Steels by Using Powder Mixed Dielectric in EDM Process

Abstract

Electric discharge machining (EDM) is one of most popular machining methods to manufacture dies and press tools because of its capability to produce complicated shapes and machine very hard materials. The present study has been done to study the effect of different input parameters, namely, current, workpiece material, electrode material, dielectric medium, pulse on time, pulse off time and powder and some their interactions on the MRR, TWR, micro hardness and surface roughness. The effect of various input parameters on output responses have been analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Deposition of the powder material either in pure form or in compound form was also studied. XRD and microstructure analysis was completed to understand the form and amount of deposition on the surface of the workpiece material. Main effect plot and interaction plot has been used to determine the optimal design for each output response.