Design and Optimization of Process Parameters in Electrochemical Machining of Inconel 625 Alloy Using Taguchi Method

Electrochemical machining is a non conventional machining process, used for machining complicated shapes, high strength and high temperature materials. The selection of proper process parameters for electrochemical machining process is crucial to have the efficient and high quality output. In this study, the Taguchi method, a powerful tool for optimization is used to find the optimal machining parameters for electrochemical machining. Based on this technique, experiments were designed and conducted on Inconel 625 alloy to machine circular holes using electrochemical machining with NaCl solution as electrolyte and electrolyte grade copper as tool. An orthogonal array, the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, and the analysis of variance ( ANOVA) were employed to investigate the optimum process parameters and their effect on the response parameters i. e., material removal rate and overcut. Through this study not only the optimal machining parameters are obtained, but also the main process parameters that affect the machining performance in electrochemical machining are found. Conformation tests are also conducted to verify the experimental results