Application of Taguchi Procedure to Decide Optimum Variable Levels for Powder Blended EDM

Abstract

Electric discharge machining (EDM) is a prospective alternative to traditional machining methods. It is a technique in which no manual contact between the workpiece and tool is established. To augment the process performance of EDM, a new technique that utilizes addition of fine nanopowder in the dielectric is proposed. This newly developed technique is coined as nanopowder blended electric discharge machining (NPBEDM). In this paper, a discussion of results on the influence of four quantitative process variables and the optimal process variable levels for improved surface roughness (SR) is presented. The optimal variable settings for the same are peak current—5Amp, gap voltage—70 V, pulse on time—100 μs, and boric acid nanopowder concentration—1 g/L.