Micro-electro discharge machining drilling of stainless steel with copper electrode: The influence of process parameters and electrode size

This article is about the implementation of an acquisition system for the measurement of micro-electro discharge machining process parameters and the statistical analysis of their influence on the process performance. The micro-electro discharge machining drilling of 316L stainless steel with copper tubular electrodes was studied and the exchanged power was taken into account as a comprehensive variable able to represent the effect of the peak current and voltage on the final result. The direct proportionality between the exchanged power and the nominal process parameters was verified. A linear and non-linear regression approach was used in order to obtain predictive equations for the most important aspects of micro-electro discharge machining process, such as the machining time and the electrode wear.