The effect of thermal conductivity of the tool electrode in spark-assisted chemical engraving gravity-feed micro-drilling

Spark-assisted chemical engraving (SACE) is a non-traditional micro-machining technology based on electrochemical discharge phenomena. In SACE gravity-feed micro-drilling, various parameters including the thermal properties of the tool electrode play a significant role in the process. Based on a series of experiments using tool electrodes with different thermal properties, the effect in SACE gravity-feed micro-drilling is discussed. It is demonstrated that machining with higher thermal conductivity tool electrodes results in faster machining during the discharge regime and slower machining during the hydrodynamic regime of SACE gravity-feed micro-drilling.