Fabrication of Micro Rods of Cemented Carbide by Electrolyte Jet Turning

Electrolyte jet turning system was developed to machine cemented tungsten carbide rods. Use of flat electrolyte jet enabled easy positioning of the jet relative to the workpiece rod and higher material removal rate than cylindrical jets. Using a bipolar current pulse, both cobalt binder and tungsten carbide were dissolved evenly. Influence of pulse conditions on the current efficiency and machining accuracy was investigated to obtain the optimum pulse conditions. Finer grain size of tungsten carbide resulted in higher material removal and smoother surface. A micro rod of 36 μm in diameter and aspect ratio of 20 was successfully machined.