On how tool geometry, applied frequency and machining parameters influence electrochemical microdrilling

The electrochemical micromachining is an important nontraditional machining process. Micro electrochemical machining (μECM) utilizes very high frequency pulses for micro to nano scale dissolution. For the study and characterization of the micro electrochemical machining process an experimental setup has been developed. Numerous microtools have been produced by reverse μECM technique and used to investigate the effect of tool diameter, length and applied frequency on the shape and size of the fabricated microholes, machining time, number of short circuits and material removal rate (MRR). The shapes of micro-drilled holes have been measured and compared with tool geometry. It has been observed that MRR and machining time increase and decrease respectively with an increase of tool diameter. On the other hand they decrease and increase respectively with an increase of tool length. It is also been observed that the applied frequency determines the size of the micro-drilled hole.