International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing

Korean Society for Precision Engineering (한국정밀공학회)
권호 표지

Fabrication of EDM Electrodes by Localized Electrochemical Deposition

  • Published : 2008.04.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

The fabrication of complex three-dimensional electrodes for micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) is an important issue in the field of micromachining Localized electrochemical deposition (LECD) is a simple and inexpensive technique for fabricating micro-EDM electrodes. This study presents a new process for manufacturing electrodes with complex cross-sections using masks of different shapes, In this process, a non-conductive mask is placed between an anode and cathode that are immersed in a plating solution of acidified copper sulfate. The LECD is achieved by applying a pulsed voltage between the anode and cathode, which are separated by a small distance. In this setup, the cathode is placed above the anode and the mask, so that the deposited electrode can be used directly for EDM without changing the tool orientation. We found that the microstructure of the deposited electrode is influenced by the concentration of the plating solution and organic additives. Moreover, the values of the voltage, frequency, and duty cycle of the pulsed input have significant effects on the microstructure of the fabricated electrode. Finally, the optimum values of the voltage, frequency, and duty cycle were determined for the most effective fabrication of complex-shaped electrodes.

Keywords

References

  1. Masuzawa, T., "State of the Art of Micromachining," Annals of the CIRP, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 473-488, 2000 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0007-8506(07)63451-9
  2. Pham, D. T., Dimov, S. S., Bigot, S., Ivanov, A. and Popov, K., "Micro-EDM - Recent Developments and Research Issues," Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 149, Issues 1-3, pp. 50-57, 2004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2004.02.008
  3. Kim, Y. T., Park, S. J. and Lee, S. J., "Micro/Meso-Scale Shapes Machining by Micro EDM Process," International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 5-11, 2005
  4. Lim, J. H., Je, S. J., Ryu, S. H. and Chu, C. N., "Distortion of the Bottom Surface in Micro Cavity Machining Using MEDM," International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 44-48, 2005
  5. Lim, H. S., Wong, Y. S., Rahman, M. and Lee, M. K. E., "A study on the machining of high-aspect ratio micro-structures using micro-EDM," Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 140, Issues 1-3, pp. 318-325, 2003 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-0136(03)00760-X
  6. Takahata, K., Shibaike, N.and Guckel, H., "High-Aspect-Ratio WC-Co Microstructure Produced by the Combination of LIGA and Micro-EDM," Microsystem Technologies, Vol. 6, No. 5, pp. 1432-1858, 2000
  7. Hunter, I. W., Lafontaine, S. R. and Madden, J. D., "Three-Dimensional Microfabrication by Localized Electrochemical Deposition and Etching," US Patent, No. 5641391, 1997
  8. Madden, J. D. and Hunter, I. W., "Three-Dimensional Micro-Fabrication by Localized Electrochemical Deposition," Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, Vol. 5, Issue 1, pp. 24-32, 1996 https://doi.org/10.1109/84.485212
  9. Jansson, A., Thornell, G. and Johansson, S., "High Resolution 3D Microstructures Made by Localized Electrodeposition of Nickel," Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 147, Issue 5, pp. 1810-1827, 2000 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1393439
  10. El-Giar, E. M. and Thomson, D. J., "Localized Electrochemical Plating of Interconnectors for Microelectronics," Proceedings of IEEE Conference on Communications, Power and Computing, WESCANEX, pp. 327-332, 1997
  11. El-Giar, E. M., Said, R. A., Bridges, G. E. and Thomson, D. J., "Localized Electrochemical Deposition of Copper Microstructures," Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 147, Issue 2, pp. 586-591, 2000 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1393237
  12. Park, J. W., Ryu, S. H. and Chu, C. N., "Pulsed Electrochemical Deposition for 3D Micro Structuring," International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 49-54, 2005
  13. Yeo, S. H. and Choo, J. H., "Effects of Rotor Electrode in the Fabrication of High Aspect Ratio Microstructures by Localized Electrochemical Deposition," Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 435-442, 20018 https://doi.org/10.1088/0960-1317/11/5/301