Modul for Micro Electrical Discharge Machining using Gaseous Dielectric Media

电火花加工（EDM）在工业规模的小型零件精密制造范围内具有特殊的重要性，因为它具有高精度，工艺可靠性和几乎完全缺乏工艺力的特点。电火花加工的一个明显缺点是电介质流体，这是必要的侵蚀过程。通常，该过程是在电极和工件浸没在去离子水或油中的情况下进行的。与这些液体电介质相反，可以使用气体电介质代替。这种工艺被描述为干电火花加工，并使机器设置和模块化的机器布局独立于由介电流体的特性引起的安装限制。在这个项目的框架内，一个新的模块的三维微结构的干电火花加工将被设计和原型实现。本项目的研究将集中在1476优先计划第一个资助期内开发的系统的集成上，并考虑到这些系统的接口。除了用气体介质代替电介质流体的方法外，另一种解决方法将是在干电火花铣削过程中使用管状针电极制造三维微结构。这样，将实现用于间隙宽度控制的电极移动和横向进给的分离。这使得新系统能够集成到优先计划的现有概念中，例如集成到所谓的生产立方体的协同运动的概念中。使用管状针电极的干式EDM铣削进行三维微加工是新的，并且提供了一种经济且特别环保的替代方案，以建立微加工技术，例如使用小直径工具进行微铣削。

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is of special importance within the range of precision manufacturing of small parts in an industrial scale as it is characterized by high accuracy, process reliability and almost complete lack of process forces. A clear drawback of EDM is the dielectric fluid, which is necessary for the erosive process. Normally, the process is conducted with electrode and work piece submerged in deionized water or oil. As opposed to these liquid dielectrics, a gaseous dielectric can be used instead. Such process is described Dry EDM and enables a miniaturisation of the machine setup and a modular machine layout independent of mounting restrictions caused by the characteristics of the dielectric fluid.Within the framework of this project, a novel module for the Dry EDM of three dimensional micro structures will be designed and prototypically implemented. The research in this project will focus on the integration of the systems developed in the first funding period of Priority Program 1476 under consideration of these systems interfaces.Besides the approach of replacing the dielectric fluid with a gaseous medium, another method of resolution will be the manufacturing of three dimensional micro structures by using tubular pin electrodes in a Dry EDM milling process. In doing so, a separation of the electrode movement for gap width control and the infeed will be realized. This enables the integration of the new system into existing concepts of the Priority Program, e.g. into the concept of cooperating movements at a so called production cube.Three dimensional micro machining by use of Dry EDM milling with tubular pin electrodes is new and offers an economically and especially environmentally advantageous alternative to the established micro machining technologies such as micro milling with tools of low diameter.