Wedm: Influence of Machine Feed Rate in Machining Titanium Ti-6al-4v Using Brass Wire and Constant Current (4a)

Abstract

Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) technology has been widely used in tool and die-making industry, automotive, medical and practically any conductive materials. It is a non-traditional machining process which used the continuously circulating wire as electrode and cuts the workpiece along a programmed path. The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of feed rate on the performance of WEDM on Titanium Ti-Al-4 V. Brass wire was employed as the electrode in this study. The results on kerf width, material removal rate and surface roughness are graphically tabulated. The best combination of machining parameter viz. machine feed rate (4 mm/min), wire speed (8 m/min), wire tension (1.4 kg) and voltage (60 V) were identified. The selection of parameters depends on the requirements based on a better surface roughness or a maximum material removal rate. Hence an appropriate combination of variables can be selected accordingly. Furthermore, this combination can contributes to increase production rates perceptibly by reducing machining time.