The Use of Electroforming for Engineering Tool Production

Bocking, C.; Bennett, Graham R.; Dover, Stephen J

doi:10.1080/00202967.1998.11871197

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Typically, the major cost and time component of EDM is from manufacturing of electrode, which can occupy over 50 per cent of the total machining costs [1]. From the beginning of 1990s, attempts to apply rapid prototyping (RP) and electroforming technology to fabricate EDM electrodes more quickly and economically have been made [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Yalagadda et al [2] produced EDM electrode by electroforming on silicon rubber mandrels cast from stereolithography (SL) patterns and then separating the electroforms from the mandrel.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electroforming of Copper/ZrB<sub>2</sub> Composites Coatings and Its Performance as Electro-Discharge Machining Electrodes

Jin

Zhang

Guo

et al. 2005

KEM

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Copper electroforming, together with rapid prototyping (RP) technology, provides a method for manufacturing EDM electrodes rapidly. However, the use of conventional electroformed copper electrodes is restricted because of the high electrode wear rate in EDM processes. This paper presents a study on the electroforming technique of copper/zirconium diboride (ZrB2) composite coating and its performance as an EDM electrode. Cu-ZrB2 composite coating is electroformed from a copper nitrate bath containing micro-sized ZrB2 particles in such a way that by varying the process parameters, ZrB2 particles approximate to 20 Vol.% are incorporated in the coatings. Analyses by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy reveal that ZrB2 particles are uniformly dispersed in the copper matrix and the grains of the coating are refined due to the incorporation of ZrB2 particles. The electroformed coatings deposited on copper substrates with approximately 1mm thickness are used as electrodes. EDM experiment shows that performance such as the spark-resistance of the new electrodes is improved compared with that of conventional electroformed copper electrodes because the incorporation of refractory particles in the copper matrix as well as the refinement of the grains of the coating, and the. Cu-ZrB2 composites show good performance in finish machining condition.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electroforming of Copper/ZrB<sub>2</sub> Composites Coatings and Its Performance as Electro-Discharge Machining Electrodes

Jin

Zhang

Guo

et al. 2005

KEM

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“…The potential of copper electroplated stereolithography (SL) models for producing EDM electrodes has been investigated [2,[4][5][6][7][8][9]. Since an SL model is a thermal insulator, heat is built up in the coating.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead of using the outer surface as an electroplated SL electrode, the surface contacting with the master is used as the working surface. Some outstanding developments have already been made using SL parts as masters for producing electroform EDM electrodes [4,5,7,[10][11][12]. Though copper electroformed electrodes demonstrated potential in rough or semi-rough cutting with efficient machining rates, a good surface finish for EDM cavities could not be produced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential of Plating Techniques in the Development of Rapid EDM Tooling

Tay

Haider

2001

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

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Electrodischarge machining (EDM) is a widely used process in the manufacturing of mould cavities for plastic products. EDM work typically accounts for a large portion of overall production time. A major cost and time element of EDM is electrode production, which can account for more than 50% of the total machining costs. A large complex electrode profile, which is very difficult to produce through machining and is also time consuming, can be easily produced using the rapid prototyping (RP) technique. The direct laser sintering of metal powders is a widely established RP process that can be employed for the rapid production of EDM electrodes.In this study, the above-mentioned technique has been employed. The powder mixture used in this process consists of copper, tin, nickel and phosphorus. An infra-red (IR) 200 W CO 2 laser is used to sinter the powdered metals layer-by-layer in order to form solid electrodes. Electroless copper and copper plating are then employed to improve the surface finishing and the conductivity of the sintered electrode as it deposits a uniform thickness of metal onto the substrate by chemical reaction, without building up at the edges and corners, and achieves unique physical characteristics. The performance of the newly developed electrode is very similar to that of conventional copper electrodes. It is found that integration of RP and electroless plating techniques can be a potential means of the rapid production of EDM electrodes at low cost.

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Study on composite electroforming of Cu/SiCp composites

Zhu

Лю

et al. 2004

Materials Letters

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The Use of Electroforming for Engineering Tool Production

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Electroforming of Copper/ZrB<sub>2</sub> Composites Coatings and Its Performance as Electro-Discharge Machining Electrodes

Electroforming of Copper/ZrB<sub>2</sub> Composites Coatings and Its Performance as Electro-Discharge Machining Electrodes

The Potential of Plating Techniques in the Development of Rapid EDM Tooling

Study on composite electroforming of Cu/SiCp composites

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