Multi-channel discharge characteristics cutting by ultra-fine wire-EDM

Compared with a copper wire electrode, molybdenum wire with a poor conductor is usually used as the electrode in high speed wire-cut electrical discharge machining (HSWEDM), so the resistance of an ultra-fine wire cannot be ignored. To study the differences of discharge characteristics between the ultra-fine wire and the conventional diameter wire, the continuous discharge waveform of two kinds of wire electrodes was compared. It was found that there was a multi-channel discharge phenomenon in the discharge waveform cutting by ultra-fine wire. Through the establishment of a discharge equivalent circuit model and the simulation analysis of the electrostatic field, it was found that the reason why ultra-fine wire is easy to form multi-channel discharge phenomenon is that the potential difference between the wire and the workpiece increased linearly along the axis of the wire. Besides, etching products like metal particles will distort the electric field between the electrodes. Both of them make it easy to form a multi-channel discharge in machining. The results show that the distributions of the equivalent resistance and the peak current are affected by the multi-channel discharge position. Multi-channel discharge can disperse energy and increase effective discharge frequency. Compared with the 0 mm spacing, at a spacing of 100 mm, the machining efficiency increases by 8.7%, the surface roughness decreases by 37.7%, and the average recast layer thickness decreases by 46.6% under the condition of ultra-fine wire-EDM.