Micromachining of graphite for electrode material and application to electric discharge machining

Abstract

The thrust force, one of the cutting forces, influences the form and dimensional accuracy of work materials and varies with the nose radius, approach angle, and depth of cut on the operation of turning. Adjusting these three conditions can be used to set the thrust force to 0 N. In this study, a graphite electrode was developed with a precision lathe. Optimizing these three conditions, which was achieved experimentally, enabled cutting of graphite with a thrust force of 0 N. Cutting of a graphite microshaft with a diameter of 50μm and a length of 1 mm was demonstrated. In addition, a microhole in a SUS304 plate was processed by electric discharge machining using the graphite shaft as the electrode.