A review of electrochemical macro- to micro-hole drilling processes

Electrochemical machining processes provide a viable alternative for drilling macro- and micro-holes with exceptionally smooth surface and reasonably acceptable taper in numerous industrial applications particularly in aerospace, electronic, computer and micro-mechanics industries. Advanced hole-drilling processes like jet-electrochemical drilling have found acceptance in producing large number of quality holes in difficult-to-machine materials. This paper highlights the recent developments, new trends and the effect of key factors influencing the quality of the holes produced by these processes. A comparative study of electro jet drilling with another non-traditional hole-drilling process (laser percussion drilling) has been presented which shows the potential and versatility of the electrochemical hole drilling processes.