Improvement of EDM Properties of PCD with Electrode Vibrated by Ultrasonic Transducer

EDM machinability of PCD was investigated using a copper electrode giving ultrasonic vibrations. In this series of EDM experiments, three types of ultrasonic vibration modes were selected (axial vibration, flexural vibration and complex vibration). From the experimental results, it was found that EDM efficiency became 3 times higher than the ordinary EDM (no vibration given to the electrode) under the two specific vibration modes, namely, 1) the axial vibration (large) mode and 2) the complex vibration (axial vibration: large + flexural vibration: small) mode. Furthermore, it was shown that the effects resulted from not only the cavitation effect of the working fluid but also the vibrational action of the electrode itself.