Simultaneous Electric Discharge and Electrochemical Polishing of Metal Additive Manufactured Components
摘要
Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the rapidly growing technologies for fabrication of complicated geometries with excellent design freedom and minimum scrap formation. However, the fabricated metal AM component suffers from defects such as stair stepping, balling defect, unmelted particles, cracks and voids which leads to poor surface integrity and dimensional accuracy. For polishing of rough surface, electric discharge machining (EDM) and electrochemical machining (ECM) are one of the established non-conventional machining techniques. EDM uses dielectric as a medium and ECM uses electrolyte as a medium, usually both have different conductive properties. EDM has higher material removal rate but poor surface finish, whereas ECM has good surface finish but low material removal rate. These processes are done sequentially EDM and then ECM to have good material removal rate and surface finish, but they are done separately because of different properties, mediums and material removal mechanism. Low resistivity deionized water has partial properties of both the mediums so both the processes can be done simultaneously. In this research, we use simultaneous electric discharge and electrochemical machining (SEDCM) to improve the surface of AM components.