Electrochemical Machining

Electrochemical machining (ECM) is an anodic electrochemical dissolution process. It is a non-conventional material removal process in which the workpiece to be machined is made the anode and the tool is made the cathode of an electrolytic cell (Figure 1).

ECM has many advantages over traditional machining such as its applicability regardless of material hardness, no tool wear, high material removal rate, smooth and bright surface, and production of components of complex geometry. ECM is an effective method for producing a wide variety of parts for the aerospace, automotive, defense, and medical industries: for example turbine blades, engine castings, bearing cages, gears, dies and molds, artillery projectiles, and surgical implants.

Pulse electrochemical micromachining (PECMM) is a variation of ECM in which instead of using direct current, a pulsed current is used as the power source for electrochemical micromachining. The improved electrolyte flow condition in the inter electrode gap, enhanced localization of anodic dissolution, and small and stable gaps found in PECMM lead to higher dimensional accuracy, better process stability, relatively simpler tool design and better suitability to online process control. These technical enhancements coupled with the inherent benefits of the ECM using continuous current make PECMM very attractive for its use as a micromachining process. A recent study using PECMM conducted in our lab can be found here.

Schematic illustration of electrochemical machining of the anode.

Figure 1 Schematic illustration of electrochemical machining of the anode.

Pulse electrochemical micromachining (PECMM) is a variation of ECM in which instead of using direct current, a pulsed current is used as the power source for electrochemical micromachining. The improved electrolyte flow condition in the inter electrode gap, enhanced localization of anodic dissolution, and small and stable gaps found in PECMM lead to higher dimensional accuracy, better process stability, relatively simpler tool design and better suitability to online process control. These technical enhancements coupled with the inherent benefits of the ECM using continuous current make PECMM very attractive for its use as a micromachining process. A recent study “ Ultra High Aspect Ratio Micro Tool Fabrication using ECM ” was conducted in our lab.