Modeling of Surface Roughness and the Role of Debris in Micro-EDM

Surface roughness is one of the important quality characteristic of a micromachined component. This paper presents a model to predict surface roughness of micro-EDmachined surfaces. The model is based on the configuration of a single-spark cavity formed as a function of process parameters. Assuming the normal distribution of surface heights, the μ and σ(Rq) of the surface profile are evaluated after every spark. The model was further extended to capture the role of debris in micro-EDM in changing electric potential at the micropeaks on the cathode surfaces. The chemical kinetics approach was used to evaluate the change in plasma enthalpy and composition as a result of debris inclusion in the dielectric. The corresponding energy distribution between the electrodes was used to predict configuration of the single-spark cavity and the consequent surface roughness using the earlier surface roughness model. The modeling results were found to agree well with the micro-EDM validation experiments performed without and with the inclusion of artificial debris (iron particles) in the dielectric.