An efficient and economical rapid-tooling method for die-sinking electrical discharge machining

This paper reports on the efficiency and economy of bundled electrode in die-sinking electrical discharge machining (EDM). Bundled electrode was fabricated by putting several thin tubular or cylindrical cell electrodes together and forming an approximate 3D end-face geometry by adjusting the length of each cell electrode. This method of electrode design and fabrication significantly reduced the fabrication time and cost compared to that of traditional cutting method. The bundled electrode allows better flushing of dielectric fluid to facilitate removal of more heat and debris from the inter electrode gap. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate the advantages of bundled electrode in rough machining with large peak current. It was also found that the relative higher tool wear ratio could be reduced by using graphite cell electrodes. Additionally, time and cost of tools preparation as well as the machining time between EDM with bundled electrode and solid die-sinking electrode were compared by machining a 3-blade cavity component.