The development to assist electrode method has enabled the electrical discharge machining (EDM) of insulating materials. However, the need to change the machining conditions depending on the workpieces reduces the stability of EDM. To solve this problem, it is important to clarify the mechanism of EDM for an insulator. In particular, it is necessary to clarify the role of a long pulse discharge. Thus, we constructed a measurement system that enables the synchronized observation of processing phenomena and the discharge waveform. The relationship between the discharge waveform and the discharge phenomenon in the machining gap was investigated by observing the drilling of silica glass (a high-transparency insulator) by EDM, where we able to directly observe the machining gap from the side of workpiece. The observation clarified the following two facts. First, the main role of a discharge waveform with a long pulse discharge is to form a carbon film on the workpiece surface. Second, an insulating materials progress with concentration the normal discharge generated at almost the same area after a long pulse discharge.
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