Investigation on performance of a copper coated hollow rapid electrode during electrical discharge machining

Competitive environment in the field of manufacturing necessitates exploring rapid prototyping (RP) and rapid tooling (RT) so as to boost manufacturing speed by decreasing the manufacturing lead time. The RP technology largely attracts the attention of researchers for potential utilization of RT. Nevertheless, certain limitations exist in regard to the type of materials utilized in RP processes. This paper attempts to overcome some of the limitations of RP processes through a novel approach. In this work, an electrical discharge machining (EDM) electrode made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic is fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) process. The surface of the electrode is coated with copper through an electroless plating process to make it conductive. The performance of the electrode is assessed by carrying out machining on a stainless steel 304 work piece. It has been observed that the electroless copper-plated ABS plastic RP electrode can successfully perform machining on stainless steel. The results are quite encouraging and comparable with that of a pure copper electrode. The effect of machining parameters on material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR) and surface roughness (SR) is analysed. From the results, it is inferred that the RP electrode can be used as a viable electrode in EDM process with complex contours. The experimental data suggests that current is the most significant parameter for MRR and TWR whereas voltage is the most significant parameter for SR. Present work can contribute towards the achievement of fabricating EDM electrode by RP route followed by electroless metallization through chemical route so that tool fabrication time can be substantially reduced.