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This paper develops a new combined technology to fabricate complex 3D microstructure based on micro milling and micro sinking electro-discharge machining (micro-SEDM). Graphite microform electrode is in-situ prepared by micro milling and subsequently used for micro-SEDM, integrating the advantages of two processes. Material removal rate (MRR) and electrode wear ratio (EWR) are experimentally investigated to determine proper parameters for different micro-SEDM performances. Three different machining strategies including single, double and treble micro-SEDM are adopted to fabricate 3D microstructure. The surface roughness, size accuracy, machining duration and cost of micro-cavities, and electrode wear under different strategies have been compared. The results show that treble micro-SEDM produces superior surface quality with 0.83 μm Ra and size accuracy with ≤ 28.05 μm tolerance. The proposed method broadens the machining flexibility and capability of micro-fabrication techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new micromachining method for the fabrication of micro-metal structures by using micro-reversible electrical discharge machining (EDM) was investigated. The reversible machining combines the micro-EDM deposition process with the selective removal process, which provides the ability of depositing or removing metal material using the same micro-EDM machining system. From the discharge mechanism of micro-EDM, the process conditions of micro-EDM deposition were analyzed firstly. Using the brass and steel materials as a tool electrode, the micro-cylinders with 200μm in diameter and height-to-diameter ratio of more than 5 were deposited on a high-speed steel surface. Then the machining procedure was transformed easily from deposition to selective removal process by switching the process conditions. Different removal strategies including micro-EDM drilling and micro-EDM milling were used in the machining. Micro-holes with 80μm in diameter are drilled successfully in the radial direction of the deposited micro-steel cylinder. Also, a brass square column with 70μm in side length and 750μm in height, and a micro-cylinder with 135μm in diameter and 1445μm in height are obtained by using micro-EDM milling. Finally, the characteristics of the deposited material were analyzed. The results show that the material components of a deposited micro-cylinder are almost the same as those of the tool electrode, and the metallurgical bonding has been formed on the interface. In addition, the Vickers-hardness of 454Hv of the steel deposited material is higher when compared to the hardness of 200Hv of the raw steel electrode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tool electrode wear varying with different materials in electrical discharge machining (EDM) is unavoidable, thus inevitably reducing the machining quality and accuracy of microstructures. To convert this disadvantageous phenomenon into a beneficial process, the paper proposed a wear-variation EDM (WV-EDM) approach to fabricate a laminated disc electrode (LDE) with stable-shape micro channels on the outer edge surface; this electrode was subsequently used to machine micro grooves on workpieces by EDM. The WV-EDM formation of the LDE, the relationship between relative volume wear rate of the disc foils and the machining depth, and flow field distribution in the machining gap of the LDE during processing were investigated. The results show that the method proposed herein could reliably produce LDEs with stable micro channels on the outer edge surfaces that could subsequently be employed to continuously machine micro groove arrays with the same machining depth on the same material workpiece by EDM, and especially LDE reshaping was unnecessary. Additionally, the "pump effect" of the vortex, located in the flow field between micro channels on the LDE and workpiece, was beneficial for debris removal. Using the proposed method, micro groove arrays and columnar microstructures were successfully fabricated on Ti–6Al–4V alloy workpieces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a new method to fabricate tungsten microelectrode instantaneously by means of the pressure difference of plasma between cathode and anode in a single electrical discharge. The influence of main machining parameters, such as electrode material, polarity, dielectric medium, discharge duration and peak current, is analyzed by detailed experiments to obtain the fabricating law of tungsten microelectrode. The fabricating principle is described clearly. As the result of experiments, a tungsten microelectrode about 350μm in length and 30μm in diameter can be fabricated on the top of the tungsten wire of 0.125mm in diameter by this method. At the tip of the tungsten microelectrode, its radius is about 100nm. This method can greatly shorten the microelectrode fabrication time and effectively improve the reliability of the microelectrode. Especially, this method can fabricate a nanometer level tip in general electrical discharge machining (EDM) machine tool and need not add any other apparatus. The fabricated microelectrode can be used as a drilling tool in micro-EDM or a probe for scanner and measurement devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Micro-electro discharge milling (micro-ED-milling) with simply shaped electrode is highly regarded as a capable approach of machining 3D micro-structure because of its special machining mechanism and the variety of machinable materials. However, a specific CAD/CAM system is needed for generating tool path and related machining process. Due to nature of machining mode and tool electrode geometry, some vestige always remains on the machined surface during ED-milling of 3D structure especially on the complex surface which cannot be expressed with normal equations. To solve the problems of residual vestige, a slicing strategy for micro-ED-milling is proposed. The way of the tool path generation and the algorithm for smoother surface are studied systemically. Meanwhile, with the way of isoparametric interpolation, the machined freeform surfaces of lamination are significantly improved. As a result, some typical 3D structures are machined for verification, including an embossment of a human face within a circular area of 1 mm in diameter. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Micro wire electrical discharge machining (micro-WEDM) provides a promising alternative for micro gear machining. However, the processing defect of non-intact tooth profile often appears due to the influence of micro gear gravity, flushing force and explosive force in micro-WEDM process. This paper presents a process change of micro-WEDM to achieve the precise fabrication of micro gear with intact tooth profile, i.e. firstly reserving a sharp corner on the gear teeth where the processing defect exists and then removing it by the second processing of micro-WEDM. The locating and clamping of the micro gear with sharp corner has been achieved using a novel self-centering flexible fixture. The machining error during the second processing is analyzed, and whilst the process datum is accurately determined. Appropriate processing parameters are obtained by performing preliminary experiments on X153CrMoV12 workpiece, indicating that high open voltage and discharge capacitance cause large kerf width, moderate reference voltage and feed rate lead to narrow kerf width. The static contact between the core jig of the fixture and the micro gear with sharp corner is theoretically analyzed using ABAQUS software and experimentally proved to be in good condition. To verify the feasibility and repeatability of the proposed approach, five micro gears with 10 gear number, 0.1 mm module and 2 mm tooth width are machined using 50 μm diameter wire electrode, exhibiting excellent conformity, machining error with less than 1.5 μm and surface roughness Ra with 0.9 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work puts forward numerical and experimental investigations on laser dicing of glass-anisotropic single-crystal silicon double-layer wafer using laser induced thermal-crack propagation (LITP). A semiconductor continuous wave laser working at the defocusing mode serves as volumetric heat source for glass layer while as surface heat source for silicon layer. Based on the classical fracture theory, a static seam-type crack is introduced under the circumstance of ABAQUS to simulate the crack fracture modes in glass layer as well as silicon layer with crystal planes of (100), (110) and (111) during laser dicing in different dicing directions. In the experiments, processing parameters are kept the same as the simulations and typical dicing directions obtained from simulations are also used. The surface morphologies of crack edges are measured by the optical microscope and surface profiler. Through the comparison of numerical and experimental results it is discovered that for the specific substrate, the evolution of crack edge qualities in different dicing directions and different layers can be interpreted based on the corresponding stress distribution and stress intensity factor (SIF) ratio explicitly. And most important of all, the anisotropy of silicon layer has significant influence on the fracture mode and edge quality of crack in both layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]