Modul for Micro Electrical Discharge Machining using Gaseous Dielectric Media

电火花加工（EDM）具有精度高、工艺可靠和几乎完全不需要加工力的特点，在工业规模的小零件精密制造中具有特别重要的意义。电火花加工的一个明显缺点是电介质流体，这是腐蚀过程所必需的。通常，将电极和工件浸泡在去离子水或油中进行加工。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式电火花加工，能够实现机器设置的小型化和模块化机器布局，而不受电介质特性引起的安装限制的影响。在这个项目的框架内，将设计一个新的三维微结构的干式电火花加工模块并进行原型实现。该项目的研究将集中于在优先计划1476的第一个资助期内开发的系统的集成，并考虑这些系统接口。除了用气体介质代替介电流体的方法外，另一种解决方法是在干电火花铣削过程中使用管状针电极制造三维微观结构。这样就实现了电极运动间隙宽度控制与进给的分离。这样就可以将新系统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作运动概念中。利用管状销电极的干式电火花铣削进行三维微加工是一种新的方法，它为现有的微加工技术（如用小直径刀具进行微铣削）提供了一种经济和特别环保的选择。

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.