Comparison of Conventional, Powder Mixed, and Ultrasonic Assisted EDM by Phenomenological Reasoning

Electro-discharge machining (EDM) is widely used in industries for machining complex shapes and difficult-to-machine materials that are conductive. In the present work, performance of conventional die-sinking EDM process is compared with powder mixed and ultrasonic assisted processes in machining of D3 steel. Using different sets of parameters for rough and finish ED machining, material removal rate and surface roughness are obtained experimentally. The influences of the parameters on material removal rate and surface roughness are presented on the basis of phenomenological reasoning. The results are discussed and suitable recommendations for the practitioners are included.