Shun-Tong Chen et al 2009 J. Micromech. Microeng. 19 115033 doi:10.1088/0960-1317/19/11/115033
Shun-Tong Chen1, Hong-Ye Yang2 and Chih-Wei Du3
Show affiliationsA precision ultrafine w-EDM (wire electrical discharge machining) technique specifically for machining intricate parts and structures is developed in this paper. A thumb-sized and versatile w-EDM device equipped with a complete control system for wire tension (ultrafine tungsten wire of 13 µm diameter) is designed and employed for the study of ultrafine w-EDM. The tension of the wire electrode is controlled by magnetic repulsive force to steady the wire during machining. Ultrafine wire cutting can be conducted in vertical-, horizontal- or slantwise-wire arrangements. Via some experiments, optimal machining conditions including discharge capacitance, feed rate, wire tension and the appropriate design for the w-EDM device are obtained. Two miniature samples including a micro of Taipei's landmark 101 building and a micro relay are fabricated and the feasibility of the proposed approach is verified. It is confirmed that the ultrafine w-EDM technique using an ultrafine tungsten wire of 13 µm was realized successfully.
84.32.Dd Connectors, relays, and switches
85.85.+j Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices
Instrumentation and measurement
Issue 11 (November 2009)
Received 15 August 2009, in final form 17 September 2009
Published 20 October 2009
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