Fabrication of EDM Electrodes by Localized Electrochemical Deposition

The fabrication of complex three-dimensional electrodes for micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) is an important issue in the field of micromachining Localized electrochemical deposition (LECD) is a simple and inexpensive technique for fabricating micro-EDM electrodes. This study presents a new process for manufacturing electrodes with complex cross-sections using masks of different shapes, In this process, a non-conductive mask is placed between an anode and cathode that are immersed in a plating solution of acidified copper sulfate. The LECD is achieved by applying a pulsed voltage between the anode and cathode, which are separated by a small distance. In this setup, the cathode is placed above the anode and the mask, so that the deposited electrode can be used directly for EDM without changing the tool orientation. We found that the microstructure of the deposited electrode is influenced by the concentration of the plating solution and organic additives. Moreover, the values of the voltage, frequency, and duty cycle of the pulsed input have significant effects on the microstructure of the fabricated electrode. Finally, the optimum values of the voltage, frequency, and duty cycle were determined for the most effective fabrication of complex-shaped electrodes.