Parametric Study of Powder Mixed EDM and Optimization of MRR & Surface Roughness

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a well-established non-conventional machining process, used for manufacturing geometrically complex or hard and electrically conductive material parts that are extremely difficult to cut by other conventional machining processes. But sometimes poor surface finish and low volumetric material removal rate limits its use in the industry. To diffuse this problem, EDM in the presence of powder suspended in the dielectric fluid is used and known as powder mixed EDM (PMEDM). In this research work the effect of machining parameters on Surface Roughness and Material Removal Rate (MRR) in a machining operation on Powder Mixed EDM Machine is investigated and the results are optimized by using the Taguchi method. The experimental studies are conducted by keeping various parameters like Current, Voltage, Pulse on time, Duty factor constant and by varying two parameters i.e. Grain size of Aluminium powder & Concentration of Aluminium powder. An L9 orthogonal array, the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio are employed to study the performance characteristics in the machining of AISI 1045 steel using Powder mixed EDM machine. The results revealed that grain size of powder and concentration of powder have a great influence on the surface roughness and Material Removal Rate (MRR) in powder mixed EDM.