Research on Shaping of Tungsten Carbide Rod by Electrolyte Jet Machining

抄録

Electrolyte jet machining is carried out by jetting the electrolyte from a nozzle toward the workpiece while applying voltage between the nozzle and workpiece. This machining method can selectively process metallic materials regardless of their hardness. Therefore, difficult-to-cut materials, such as a tungsten carbide (WC) rod, which is used as a fine tool, can be machined effectively if a suitable electrolyte and power supply are used. In this research, a method for removing the material on a rotating cylindrical workpiece by using the side surface of an electrolyte jet was proposed. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal machining parameters, such as the rotating speed of the workpiece and the machining time for the shaping of a WC alloy rod by electrolyte jet machining. First, machining experiments were carried out without a nozzle scan to clarify the machining characteristics by changing the rotation speed of the workpiece. Then, shaping characteristics were investigated by changing the scanning speed of the nozzle.