Operating Principle: As the tool approaches the work piece it erodes the negative shape of it. Thus complex shapes are made from soft copper metal and used to produce negative duplicates of it. This process is called electrochemical sinking. | Electrochemical Machining (ECM) Dr. Lotfi K. Gaafar 13/05/2002 Electrochemical Machining 13/05/2002 Electrochemical Machining Uses an electrolyte and electrical current to ionize and remove metal atoms Can machine complex cavities in high-strength materials Leaves a burr-free surface Not affected by the strength, hardness or toughness of the material 13/05/2002 Electrochemical Machining 13/05/2002 Operating Principle As the tool approaches the work piece it erodes the negative shape of it. Thus complex shapes are made from soft copper metal and used to produce negative duplicates of it. This process is called electrochemical sinking 13/05/2002 This is basically the same concept as RAM EDM, or EDM sinking. It even has a really similar name. ECM sinking, or RAM ECM. The only difference is the way the metal is removed from the work piece. Operating Principle The tool may also be connected to a CNC machine to produce even more complex | Electrochemical Machining (ECM) Dr. Lotfi K. Gaafar 13/05/2002 Electrochemical Machining 13/05/2002 Electrochemical Machining Uses an electrolyte and electrical current to ionize and remove metal atoms Can machine complex cavities in high-strength materials Leaves a burr-free surface Not affected by the strength, hardness or toughness of the material 13/05/2002 Electrochemical Machining 13/05/2002 Operating Principle As the tool approaches the work piece it erodes the negative shape of it. Thus complex shapes are made from soft copper metal and used to produce negative duplicates of it. This process is called electrochemical sinking 13/05/2002 This is basically the same concept as RAM EDM, or EDM sinking. It even has a really similar name. ECM sinking, or RAM ECM. The only difference is the way the metal is removed from the work piece. Operating Principle The tool may also be connected to a CNC machine to produce even more complex shapes with a single tool. 13/05/2002 Operating Principle Several tools may be joined to provide a fast broaching technique on hardened material. Conventional machines may be easily changed to an ECM and is a common practice. 13/05/2002 Brown. Advanced Machining Technology Handbook Main Subsystems The power supply. The electrolyte circulation system. The control system. The machine. 13/05/2002 Brown. Advanced Machining Technology Handbook ECM Components (Power) The power needed to operate the ECM is obviously electrical. There are many specifications to this power. The current density must be high. The gap between the tool and the work piece must be low for higher accuracy, thus the voltage must be low to avoid a short circuit. The control system uses some of this electrical power. 13/05/2002 The current density is the amount of current that passes per area. In ECM sinking, it is approximately the current divided by the cross .
