Development of Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) For Educational Purpose Using Solenoid Actuator
Arnaz Asa Sholeh (a*), Kushendarsyah Saptaji (a), Muchamad Oktaviandri (b)

(a) Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Sampoerna University, Pancoran, Jakarta, Indonesia
(b) Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Abstract

The need of a lightweight and strong material used in aerospace and aeronautic led to the invention of new alloys. However, these new alloys such as titanium alloys and nickel alloys are difficult to be milled (hard-to-cut). Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) is one of the advanced manufacturing methods widely used for hard-to-cut alloys. The EDM process uses an electrode as the conductor of electrical current to erode the metal and supported by other components. Due to the high cost and high energy consumption of EDM, it is necessary to develop a low cost and simpler EDM set-up especially for educational purpose in manufacturing laboratory activity. The EDM design and set up requirement to produce the desired “spark” have always been a challenge to the researchers and manufacturers. In this paper, a small scale EDM setup was built. A solenoid actuator is used to generate simple mechanical relay principle. The mechanical relay movement is used to control the gap between the workpiece and the electrode to produce a spark. The solenoid actuator is used because of its low cost and simple mechanism. As the result, the hole cavity is able to be produced using the proposed configuration.

Keywords: Electric Discharge Machining, Mechanical relay, Solenoid actuator

Topic: Mechanical Engineering