Parametric study while microchanneling on optical glass using microcontroller driven ECDM process

Micromachining has been gaining wide importance in today's industrial and research applications. It represents techniques/methods to achieve small features (less than 1mm) on varied parts and components. A microcontroller is widely used to control such processes to obtain the desired dimensional accuracy. It is programmed to guide the tool in a controlled path to provide required precision in an advanced manufacturing process. Microcontrollers are cheaper alternatives as compared to servo controllers. They can be coupled with developed experimental setups and further with computers to get micro machined aspects realized in the laboratory. In the current paper, a VMC-850X microprocessor with a 8085 based VMC 8501 control unit was used to machine microchannels on a special optical glass workpiece. Material removal (MR) and tool wear (TW) were measured as the response characteristic, while the variable process parameters were applied voltage, electrolyte concentration and tool speed. The obtained experimental results showed that all the parameters were significant. The applied voltage had 85.58% effect in MR and 66.71% effect in TW study. The FESEM micrograph could provide useful information on material removal mechanism.