Title: ECD tooling design

Authors: M.A. El Hakim, M. Abdel Mohsen Mahdy, M. Abdulla Sayed

Addresses: Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Egypt. ' Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Egypt. ' United Technical & Eng. Co. (UTEC), Egypt

Abstract: Electrochemical deburring (ECD) has been widely used to remove burrs resulting from different machining processes. ECD has found several applications in the aerospace and automobile industries, as well as in pneumatic and hydraulic systems. Successful deburring depends on the ECD tooling used as well as on the operating condition, both of which have been the subject of previous research carried out by the authors. ECD tooling covers both the electrode and fixture required to receive, hold and locate the workpiece in a proper position with respect to the electrode and provides for fast loading and unloading of the workpiece. Shapes produced by means of the ECD process are only as good as the electrode used to produce them, so that the electrode shape and position with respect to the burr should be designed properly. Fixture materials should have sufficiently high electrical insulation and chemical resistance. The electrode material, on the other hand, should have excellent electrical and thermal conductivities, high corrosion resistance, high resistance against arcing damage and should be easy to fabricate. The present paper illustrates some important design features of the ECD tooling required to achieve satisfactory deburring at minimum cost. A practical application is presented as a case study.

Keywords: electrochemical deburring; ECD tooling; materials processing; tooling design; electrode design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.1998.036235

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 1998 Vol.13 No.3/4/5/6, pp.167 - 183

Published online: 01 Nov 2010 *

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