ELECTRIC DISCHARGE GRINDING

The mechanics of material removal is exactly similar to that of EDM The grinding wheel is made up of an electrically conductive material like graphite

Unlike conventional grinding in EDG the material removal is due to melting and/or vaporization rather than mechanical shearing

Contrary to conventional grinding there is no direct physical contact ( except in case of short circuit) in the EDG so thin and fragile sections can be easily machined

One favorable feature of EDG is that , the rotating wheel (grinding wheel ) helps in effective flushing of the molten metal. EDG machine tool is very much similar to EDM machine tool with the only exception of having a motor to provide the rotary motion to the grinding wheel RANGE OF VARIOUS PARAMETERS: CURRENT: 0.5 200 A VOLTAGE: 40-80 V PULSE FREQUENCY: 50-250 Hz UPPER LIMIT OF WHEEL SPPED: 180m/min

PERFROMANCE OF EDG:

Capable of machining extremely hard materials like carbides 2-3 times faster as compared to conventional grinding Surface finish of 0.2-0.3 m can be obtained

Accuracy of order 2.5 m can be achieved by EDG

ELECTRO DISCHARGE DIAMOND GRINDING Electrodischarge diamond grinding (EDDG) is a hybrid machining process comprising conventional grinding and Electrodischarge machining (EDM) as its constituent processes

In this a metal bonded diamond grit wheel is used in place of a simple electrically conductive wheel as in EDG

The sparking between the conductive wheel and the workpiece softens the material and hence machining by diamond abrasives becomes easier

Cutting properties of the grinding wheel are stabilized because the continuous sparking in the IEG results in continuous dressing of the wheel and also prevents its clogging

MRR vs current

MRR vs wheel speed

MRR vs pulse on time

Effect of duty factor on material removal rate during EDDG (current = 5 A; wheel speed = 5m/s; pulse-on time = 100 s; voltage = 40 V)

Effect of duty factor on specific EDDG energy (current = 5A; wheel speed = 5m/s; pulse-on time = 100 s; voltage = 40 V)

It is recommended that the rough dressing of grinding wheels with rough voltage and current should be followed by finish dressing with low voltage and current in order to obtain uniformly exposed working surface on the diamond wheel. PERFORMANCE: MRR : up to 270 mm3/min WHEEL LIFE: 25% more than conventional diamond grinding SURFACE FININSH: up to 10.32 0.15 m EDDG is used for machining of cermets, super alloys other metal matrix composites and also for cutting blanks of various materials, profiles and dimensions

WIRE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE MACHINING

In this a wire is used as an electrode and water as dielectric, which is injected in the machining area with a nozzle Electrodes are connected to pulsed DC supply.

Heat generated due to sparking results in melting of workpiece and wire material and sometimes art of material may even vaporize like conventional EDM.

The system is used to cut through complicated contours especially in difficult to cut materials with high degree of surface finish and machining accuracy

POWER SUPLY SYSTEM: It differs from conventional EDM power supply, basically in pulse frequency which is about 1 MHz, it results in better surface finish. Also the wire can carry current generally up to 20A. DIELECTRIC SYSTEM: Deionized water is used and it gives better surface finish and higher material removal rate About 5 m size disposable paper filters are used to check any impurity from entering the system. Special additives like hexa valent chromium etc are used to prevent rust formation

POSITIOINING SYSTEM: It is generally CNC 2 axes table and operates in an adaptive control mode In case of an impending short circuit the table is moved back to re-establish proper cutting conditions in the gap WIRE DRIVE SYSTEM: Continously delivers fresh wire and always keeps the wire under tension so that it moves in the machining zone as a straight wire Straight wire helps to minimize vibration marks and produces better surface finish Modern Wire Cut EDM machines have autpmatic wire loading facility, after the wire has broken up during its use

ADVANCES IN WIRE CUT EDM: CNC features have been incorporated which enables the operator to input the different variables of the process. Stratified wires are employed as electrodes. It is made of Cu core alon with a thin layer of Zn

Stratified wires can withstand high tension so it can be effectively used in small bends Core of stratified wire is not introduced to very high temperatures so it can carry heavier load and gives higher MRR and results in higher cutting speeds

Huge sized spools are being used which can supply wire fro longer machining duration up to 60 hours PERFORMANCE: SURFACE FINISH: 0.1 m ACCURACY: 7 m Thousands of craters on the machined surface helps in retaining of the lubricating oil and results in increased die life