Development of a 6-Axis Electrical Discharge Machine

有时，在高级和难以加工的材料中加工复杂或复杂形状的最佳或唯一替代方法是电火花加工（EDM）。然而，先进的电火花加工设备不能经济地生产出许多复杂的空腔、螺纹或扭曲表面的翼型特征，并且不适合集成到新一代的敏捷制造系统中。该项目将开发一种新的计算机数控（CNC）六自由度电火花加工系统，能够生产复杂的腔体。六自由度装置将使用安装在商用三轴数控电火花加工机上的专门设计的三轴数控加工单元。除了本设计提供的关节外，这台新机器的控制器将结合研究者的研究成果，用于电火花间隙监测，六轴数控插补，以及共轭加工和复杂形状生成的运动生成。该样机将是电火花加工工具技术的一次重大飞跃；能够随时集成到敏捷制造系统中，以生产高性能合金的复杂形状。该项目将推进EDM加工工具的科学和技术，并将帮助美国精密EDM生产商和用户提高他们的制造基础。

9612352 Rajurkar Sometimes the best or only alternative to processing complex or intricate shapes in advanced and difficult to machine materials is by electrical discharge machining (EDM). However, state of the art EDM equipment cannot economically produce many complex cavities, threaded or twisted surfaces characteristic of airfoils, and is not designed for integration into new generations of agile manufacturing systems. This project will develop a new computer numerical controlled (CNC) six degree of freedom EDM system capable of producing complex cavities. The six degree of freedom device will use a specially designed three axis CNC tooling unit mounted on a commercial three axis CNC-EDM. In addition to the articulation provided by this design, this new machine's controller will incorporate the investigator's research results for EDM gap monitoring, six axis CNC interpolation, and motion generation for conjugate machining and complex shape generation. The prototype machine will be a major leap forward in the technology of EDM tools; capable of ready integration into agile manufacturing systems for producing complex shapes in high performance alloys. This project will advance the science and technology of EDM process tools, and it will help U.S. producers and users of precision EDM advance their manufacturing base.