Experimental Characterization of Electrical Discharge Machining of Aluminum 6061 T6 Alloy Using Different Dielectrics

Abstract

Experiments were performed on NEUAR Diesinker EDM with the jet flushing method. Aluminum 6061 T6 alloy was used as a workpiece. The workpiece and graphite electrode were connected to positive and negative polarities, respectively. Taguchi technique with an L₉ orthogonal array was employed for the design of experiments, focusing on pulse-on-time (Pₒₙ) and current. Process parameters were evaluated based on their impact on electrode wear rate (EWR) and material removal rate (MRR) using distilled water and kerosene as dielectrics. MRR and EWR were computed using weight measurements and machining time, and signal-to-noise ratios were estimated to analyze parameter trends.