A Study of Parameters in Wire Cut Electric Discharge Machining and Profile Cutting Blanks

Abstract

Polycrystalline diamonds (PCDs), because of their excellent wear tolerance, exceptionally high toughness, strong chemical and thermal resilience, decent toughness as well as thermal conductivity, were also used as cutting devices, moulds and diets and equipment. Nevertheless, PCD machining is particularly difficult due to its strong wear intensity and incredibly high hardness. Because PCD binder materials are metals such as cobalt and nickel, the machining of PCDs by electrical discharge machining (EDM) is possible. For this article, EDM was used to break PCD blanks into tiny pieces for the manufacturing of specific PCD cutting devices. The PCD was tested with a 3-D non-contact optical 3D microscope and an electron scanning (SEM) microscope fitted with an energy-sparing X-ray (EDX) spectroscope. The EDM wire cut PCD edge was found to have a broken coating of around 100μm thickness. The PCD binder metal was evaporated by a spark that left several open voids. During the meantime, chemical composition percentages were also adjusted inside the weakened layer near to the wire-cut PCD tip. Both variables will greatly reduce PCD output as a cutting tool. The affected layer should then be fully eliminated by grinding in the manufacture of the PCD device. And cutting efficiency checks are often performed with the industrial PCD equipment to determine the machine existence and comparisons.