Investigations on Improvement of Material Properties and Parametric Optimization of MRR, TWR and Roughness Using Powder Mixed Dielectric in EDM Process

Abstract

Electric discharge machining (EDM) is one of the most popular machining methods to manufacture dies and press tools because of its capability to produce complicated shapes and machine very hard materials. The intent of the present study is 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 has been completed to understand the form and amount of deposition on the surface of the workpiece material. Main effect plot and interaction plot for significant factors and S/N ratio have been used to determine the optimal design for each output response.