Fabrication of micro-features and micro-tools using electrochemical micromachining

Electrochemical micromachining (ECMM) is an advanced machining process for the machining of electrically conducting materials. In the present work, an experimental setup has been designed and fabricated to machine micro-holes and micro-channels. Machining of these features is done using a sewing needle with 47 μm tip diameter as a tool. The effects of process parameters such as voltage, electrolyte concentration, pulse duty cycle, and feed rate on the machined hole diameter have been studied, and a mathematical model is developed. The fabrication of micro-tools is done on a different setup. A straight tool having a diameter of 80 μm is fabricated from a 1,000-μm steel wire using the ECMM process. Variations of wire diameter and the material removal rate with time are studied. Micro-feature measurements and photographic analysis are done using a digital microscope.