Fundamental Investigation on Laser-Micro EDM Based Micromachining Technology
Abstract
Micromachining is a promising technology for the production of miniaturized parts. Laser micromachining is widely used for this purpose. Laser micromachining has advantages because of its higher material removal rate (MRR). However, its main disadvantage is the poor machining quality due to the heat affected zone (HAZ). On the other hand, micro-electrodischarge machining (microEDM) can fabricate better quality micro features due to the absence of the dominant HAZ zone. Though, this enhancement comes at the cost of very low MRR. To overcome the problem associated with these two types of machining, a hybrid technique is required to integrate the advantages of LASER micromachining and microEDM. In the hybrid process a rough machining is carried out first by LASER followed by a fine operation using microEDM. Thorough fundamental investigation of 3-D micromachining based on Laser and microEDM has not been carried out yet. Therefore, this research targets to investigate LASERmicroEDM based combined micromachining technique. We will retrofit an existing microEDM machine by integrating a modular fiber laser head. A mathematical model will be developed from basic heat conduction model to predict how the proposed hybrid processing technique will affect feature profile, MRR and HAZ. Further experimental validation and optimization of the process parameters will be carried out to achieve best machining performance. The successful completion of this project will provide comprehensive knowledge about LASER-micorEDM based hybrid operation. This knowledge can be used for fabricating miniature parts for aerospace industry (such as micro holes for turbine blade cooling), automotive industry (micro holes for fuel nozzle), healthcare sector (micro-features for a cardiac stent), and electronic industry (interconnectors for circuits), etc. In future, the expertise developed from this project can be employed for developing new manufacturing machine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 29, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1165455
Entities
People
- Tanveer Saleh
Organizations
- International Islamic University Malaysia