Experimental Study of Surface Finish During Electro-Discharge Machining of Stainless Steel

The main objective of this research is to show the influence of EDM parameters such as current intensity and depth of penetration on both the surface finish and process productivity, in order to deduce technical guidelines for selection of the optimum process conditions. A series of experimental tests about electro-discharge machining of AISI 316 stainless steel using copper electrodes were carried out. The surface roughness parameters were registered, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied to analyze the surface integrity, as well as the migration of electrode material elements to machined surface. The process productivity and surface finish were studied as a function of the current intensity employed during material removal and the overall depth of penetration on the workpiece material. It was proved that both current intensity and depth of penetration present a high influence on the surface integrity and production time during EDM of this stainless steel.