A sequential electrochemical–electrodischarge process for micropart manufacturing

•We reviewed and compared electrochemical and electrodischarge micromachining and methods of electrochemical and electrodischarge machining integration on single machine tool.•We proposed the change of typical electrochemical–electrodischarge sequential micromachining process and apply ECMM followed by EDMM process.•We designed and tested the prototype machine tool.•The benefits of the sequential process are: decrease of machining time and an increase in accuracy. Among the processes of micropart manufacturing, special attention is paid to applying electrochemical (ECMM) and electrodischarge (EDMM) micromachining. These processes have especially been predicted for 3D-sculptured surface (i.e. tools for microforming processes) manufacturing. In the first part of the paper a review and comparison of ECMM and EDMM are presented with special focus on accuracy and productivity. Additionally the solutions of the integration of the electrochemical and electrodischarge machining are reviewed. The analysis was the background for the concept of combining ECMM and EDMM (EC/EDMM) into a sequential process carried out on the same machine tool. Such a combination gives the possibility of minimizing the disadvantages and emphasizing the advantages of the ECMM and EDMM processes. All of these considerations were carried out based on the literature review. In the second part of the paper, overviews of the special EC/EDMM machine design, CAD/CAM support and examples of applying the EC/EDMM sequence are presented.