Drilling an Array of Square Micro-holes Using Micro-EDM

Abstract

Micro-holes are nowadays widely used in masking, ink nozzles, flow separations, straining, and biomedical devices. This paper mainly focuses on the drilling of arrays (also termed as gang drilling) of square holes in microscale using micro-electrical discharge machining (µ-EDM). An array of 9 (3 × 3) square micro-rods is used for this experimentation. These micro-tools are fabricated using wire electrical discharge machining (Wire-EDM). The average cross-sectional area of each square micro-rods are around 0.0225 mm2 (150 µm × 150 µm). While fabricating square micro-holes using µ-EDM, the effect of control parameters on the performance measures is also discussed. Moreover, confirmation tests are performed based on optimum combinations of process parameters. Additionally, the actual results are compared with the predicted results.