Generating micro geometries with air assisted jet electrochemical machining

In Jet Electrochemical Machining (Jet-ECM), the electrolytic current between the anodic work piece and the cathodic nozzle is supplied via an electrolyte jet which is ejected from a nozzle. The main advantage compared to other EC-processes is, the restriction of the electrolytic current to a limited area by the jet. The dissolution rate and the machining position can easily be controlled by setting the electric current and the nozzle position. Higher dissolution rates compared to pulsed ECM are possible, because continuous direct current is applied. In this study the property of using an additional jet of compressed air to assist the procedure is presented. The additional jet of compressed air removes the electrolyte film enclosing the metallic nozzle, which is caused by surface tension. Thereby localisation is enhanced and working gaps of about 100 µm (distance between work piece and nozzle) can be used. Furthermore a FEM model was developed to simulate selected processing results.