Formation of a new EDM electrode material using sintering techniques

Abstract

The commonly used materials for electrical-discharge machining electrodes are graphite, copper, copper alloys, copper-tungsten, brass, silver-tungsten and steel. Each material has its pros and cons in respect of machining performance. Materials having good electrical and thermal conductivity with a high melting point are preferred to be used for fabricating electrodes. In this study, compounds of ZrB2 and TiSi with Cu at various compositions are investigated for EDM electrodes by either solid-state sintering or liquid phase sintering. The performance of the newly formed material is compared with that of conventional electrode materials such as Cu, Graphite, CuW and the Rapid Tool produced from the selective laser sintering (SLS) machine.