Investigation of the Effect of Process Parameters on Surface Roughness in EDM Machining of ORVAR® Supreme Die Steel

This work presents the effect of selected process parameters on surface roughness in EDM machining of hot-working die steel. Different values of pulse current and pulse voltage were assumed in combination, while individual pulse time was set as constant. The effect of EDM parameters on 3D surface roughness parameters was investigated. Two samples machined with different pulse voltages were prepared, with each sample divided into five separate areas corresponding to different values of used pulse current. 3D surface roughness measurements were performed on each area of all samples. The authors have found a substantial link between pulse current and surface roughness. Moreover, it was discovered that pulse voltage affects surface roughness in a significant way for a certain range of pulse current values, allowing to obtain better surface finish with the use of a higher voltage.