PARAMETRIC INFLUENCE AND OPTIMIZATION OF WIRE EDM OF HOT DIE STEEL

Wire-cut Electro Discharge Machining (WEDM) is a special form of conventional EDM process in which the electrode is a continuously moving conductive wire. The present study aims at determining parametric influence and optimum process parameters of Wire-EDM using Taguchi's technique and a Genetic algorithm. The variation of the performance parameters with machining parameters was mathematically modeled by Regression analysis method. The objective functions are defined as Dimensional Error (DE), Surface Roughness (SR) and Volumetric Material Removal Rate (VMRR). Experiments were designed as per Taguchi's L16 Orthogonal Array (OA) wherein Pulse-on duration, Current, Pulse-off duration, Bed-speed and Flushing rate have been considered as the important input parameters. The matrix experiments were conducted for the material Hot Die Steel (HDS) having the thickness of 40mm. The Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) characteristics of the eroded materials were assessed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the microhardness of the material was tested using Vickers microhardness tester. The results of the study reveal that among the machining parameters, it is preferable to go for smaller pulse-off duration for achieving overall good performance. Regarding pulse-on duration, higher values are recommended for error constrained machining with higher MRR and constrained/limited values for attaining good surface texture. Smaller current is suggested for better surface finish/texture control, medium range for error control and high value for MRR. Finally, the validation exercise was performed with the optimum levels of the process parameters. The results confirm the efficiency of the approach employed for optimization of process parameters in this study.