Evaluation of the Performance of Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing Electrodes in Electrical Discharge Machining

Abstract

Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) is an innovative Additive Manufacturing process that allows the manufacture of complex parts in metallic material, such as copper among others, which provides new opportunities in Rapid Tooling. This work presents the development of a copper electrode manufactured with ADAM technology for Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) and its performance compared to a conventional electrolytic copper. Density, electrical conductivity and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were performed for an initial analysis of both ADAM and electrolytic electrodes. Previously designed EDM experiments and optimizations using genetic algorithms were carried out to establish a comparative framework for both electrodes. Subsequently, the final EDM tests were carried out to evaluate the electrode wear rate, the roughness of the workpiece and the rate of material removal for both electrodes. The EDM results show that ADAM technology enables the manufacturing of functional EDM electrodes with similar material removal rates and rough workpiece finishes to conventional electrodes, but with greater electrode wear, mainly due to internal porosity, voids and other defects observed with field emission scanning electron microscopy.

3D printing metal implants in orthopedic surgery: Methods, applications and future prospects

“…The plastic binder can be removed in a sintering furnace after printing, and the metal powder is sintered with a density of 95–99%. Only the raw materials used in this technology are not plastics and thermoplastic resins for fused deposition, but metal materials such as Ti, aluminum, and iron (Fe) [ 23 ]. The Matel X metal 3D printer from Markforged is a prime example of this technology [ 18 ].…”

Dimensional Accuracy and Mechanical Characterization of Inconel 625 Components in Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing

“…In current research, studies investigating Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM), an MEAM process patented by Markforged Inc. (Boston, MA, USA), are predominately on stainless steel 17-4 PH [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17], mostly with a focus on mechanical properties. Besides 17-4 PH, few studies investigate copper filaments [18][19][20], while research on other materials such as coldwork tool steel D2 [21] and Inconel 625 [22] is very scarce. Thus, our work focuses on Inconel 625, which, due to its prominence in the aerospace industry, is of high interest for lightweight engineering applications.…”

Dimensional Characterization and Hybrid Manufacturing of Copper Parts Obtained by Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing, and CNC Machining

“…Afterwards, a drying process is applied, thus obtaining porous and fragile parts referred to as “brown parts”. In the final stage of the system, a thermal sintering device removes all the remaining binders and facilitates the atomic diffusion of metal particles, reducing final porosity and densifying the part to achieve densities close to those of a standard material [ 21 , 22 ]. However, this technology also has significant limitations that affect the surface and dimensional quality.…”

“…Additive manufacturing of copper parts is the subject of numerous studies [ 44 , 45 ] due to the combination of the advantages of additive manufacturing and the suitability of the material for both electrical [ 46 , 47 ] and thermal applications [ 48 , 49 ]. Despite this, there are virtually no studies on ADAM with copper material, and even fewer on dimensional analysis, with only a few references related to mechanical characterization and roughness [ 50 ] and electrical discharge machining [ 21 ]. Also, to the best of our knowledge, no hybrid manufacturing study has been conducted using ADAM technology, especially with copper as the material of interest.…”