A performance study of electrochemical micro-machining on SS 316L using suspended copper metal powder along with stirring effect

Electrochemical micro-machining (ECMM) is widely used for machining small-sized components, intricate shapes, and hard materials. Fabrication of micro-holes in stainless steel 316L (SS 316L) can be effortlessly achieved by the ECMM process rather than other machining methods, owing to its favorable machining characteristics and advantages. This paper tries to elucidate the performance of ECMM on the machining of SS 316L using an eco-friendly citric acid as an electrolyte medium, and the results are compared with copper metal powder suspended in a citric acid electrolyte (suspended electrolyte) and copper metal powder suspended in a citric acid electrolyte with the assistance of a mechanical overhead stirrer (suspended electrolyte with stirrer effect). The output performance parameters such as MRR and overcut are calculated by varying the input response parameters such as machining voltage, duty cycle, and electrolyte concentration. From the experimental results at higher parameter levels, the highest MRR and moderate overcut are obtained for suspended electrolyte with stirrer effect. For suspended electrolyte, moderate MRR and the highest overcut are detected. The least MRR and reduced overcut are found for citric acid electrolyte. SEM and EDAX analysis have been carried out to see the machined micro-hole and the composition present in the specimen.