Influence of Electrolytic Products in Machining Gap on Micro ECM

Electrolytic products are hard to be removed from the machining gap in micro ECM (electrochemical machining) process, which may lower the machining speed or even stop the machining process. Intermittent withdrawal of electrode is an effective way to cleanse electrolytic products, renew electrolyte in the gap, and promote the continuance of machining process. The influence of electrolytic products’ removal rate upon machining speed is analyzed in the case of intermittent withdrawal of electrode. Results show that the machining speed does not increase monotonously with the decrease of inter-electrode distance. Considering machining efficiency and accuracy, machining gap should be the corresponding gap value when the machining speed reaches its maximum.