A new fuzzy control system for the adaptive control of WEDM process

The power consumption and short sparks ratio are chosen as control parameters. Based on pulse trains analysis and experience, fuzzy rules for the control of WEDM process are formulated. A DSP based on-line spark monitoring system is developed, and the fuzzy control system is implemented on a PC-486. For the developed control system, a reference power level is specified beforehand, and table feed rate is adjusted according to the computed actual machining power. Pulse off time is regulated automatically so that short ratio is kept constant. Fine tuning of table feed rate and pulse off-time is conducted if the variation of the average ignition delay time is too large. Experiments show that the proposed control strategy results in very satisfactory transient response and steady state response as compared with conventional control scheme.