Application of the Electro-Contact-Discharge Machining (ECoDM) and the analysis of different process parts

The Electro-Contact-Discharge Machining (ECoDM) is a hybrid process composed of Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), Arc Discharge Machining (ADM), Contact Heating Process (CoHP), and Mechanical Machining (MM). The article presents a comparison of different applications and the different influences of the machining parts for a necessary result. The application field ranges from ECoDM-Cutting to the cleaning of railway tracks. The analysis of the different processing parts is necessary for monitoring the process parameters (electrical and mechanical). An advantage of the ECoDM is the cutting of electric-conductive and partial electric-non-conductive materials. The application field is not high-precise machining but rather recycling and pre-working processing. The examples show that the focal point is not the process energy source, but the selection of the processing parts through the analysis of the voltage curve and/or the current curve.