This paper describes the improvement of machining characteristics of micro electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) using a newly developed transistor type isopulse generator and servo feed control. The RC generator is mainly applied in conventional micro-EDM even though the transistor type isopulse generator is generally more effective for obtaining higher removal rate, because the transistor type generator is unable to generate iso-duration discharge cur-rent pulses with small pulse duration (several dozen nano-seconds), which is the normal level for micro-EDM. A new transistor type isopulse generator was therefore developed using a current sensor with high frequency response. With the new transistor type isopulse generator developed, the pulse duration can be reduced to about 30 ns, which is equivalent to the pulse duration used in finishing by the conventional RC pulse generator for micro-EDM. In order to achieve stable machining and improve machining characteristics, a new servo feed control system for micro-EDM using average ignition delay time to monitor the gap distance was also developed. By integrating the transistor type isopulse generator with this new servo feed control system, we were able to obtain a removal rate of about 24 times higher than that of the conventional RC pulse generator with a constant feed rate in both semifinishing and finishing. The effectiveness of the servo feed control proved higher in finishing than in semifinishing, whereas the transistor type isopulse generator was more effective in semifinishing than in finishing. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
