A novel micro-EDM—piezoelectric self-adaptive micro-EDM

A new piezoelectric self-adaptive micro electrical discharge machining (PSA micro-EDM), based on inverse piezoelectric effect, was developed in this paper. The working mechanism and working process were illustrated, and characteristics of the new system were analyzed. The self-adaptive regulation of discharge gap according to discharge conditions is achieved during the machining process. And the system has some specific merits, such as in favor of removing the debris, reducing the occurrence of arcing and shorting circuits, realizing self-elimination of short circuits, and so on. All these advantages can improve the discharge stability of the working process, and then the machining efficiency can be increased and the electrode wear can be reduced. Besides, the servo control system of this new technique is easy to implement and micro-EDM with micro-energy at low open voltage can be achieved. Based on this new concept, a piezoelectric self-adaptive micro-EDM device was set up. To validate the processability of the new micro-EDM device, some micro holes and structures were machined.