Contact:

1
Institution University of Ljubljana
LaboratoryFaculty of mechanical Engineering,
Laboratory for Alternative Technologies
Service / Technology offer Micro electrical
discharge machining

• Description Electrical discharge machining (EDM)
  is a machining technique through which the
  surface of a metal workpiece is formed by
  discharges occurring in the gap between the tool,
  which serves as an electrode, and the workpiece.
  The gap is flushed by the third interface
  element, the dielectric fluid. The process
  consists of numerous randomly ignited
  monodischarges. During the discharge, the plasma
  channel is formed as the current conductor and
  heat generator. On the spot of discharge, a
  crater is formed. The size of a crater is
  determined by the discharge energy, which can be
  set on the machine. The material removal rate is
  determined by the crater size and the frequency
  of crater generation.
• Characteristics The EDM process can be utilized
  only for machining electrically conductive
  materials. Up to now the technology was used for
  the machining of small holes and for production
  of microfluidic channels. In the former case, the
  diameter of the hole depends on the diameter of
  the electrode. The smallest diameter of the
  electrode available on the market is 170 mm, but
  it can be reduced by etching. The smallest
  diameter of the hole machined in the Laboratory
  for Alternative Technologies was 128 mm. The
  microfluidic channels were made in the copper
  electrode by waterjet technology and mapped to
  the tool out of hardened steel by sinking EDM.
  The tool was used for batch production of the
  microfluidic channels in plexiglass.

• Utilisation machining of small holes, producing
  tools for batch production of microfluidic
  channels

• Example (of projects, processes, devices
  realised using it)
• producing of capillary nozzles for synthetic
  fibres, production of microfluidic channels

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Aškerceva 6,
SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, 386 1 4771 724,
386 1 4771 759, e-mail lat_at_fs.uni-lj.si,
http//www.fs.uni-lj.si/lat
Contact Dr Joško Valentincic