International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 46 (2006) 18041810

A study of EDM and ECM/ECM-lapping complex machining

technology
Tsuneo Kurita

, Mitsuro Hattori
Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Systems Group, Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology, AIST Tsukuba East 1-2-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8564, Japan
Received 31 May 2005; received in revised form 14 November 2005; accepted 17 November 2005
Available online 11 January 2006
Abstract
EDM (electrodischarge machining) and ECM (electrochemical machining)/ECM-lapping complex machining is investigated in this
paper. First, EDM shaping and ECM nishing technology are investigated. These processes are carried out in sequence on the same
machine tool with the same electrode (copper) and the same machining liquid (water). Two types of EDM and ECM complex machining
are investigated. One is with a formed electrode, and the other is with simple-shape electrode scanning. The complex machining with
electrode scanning is applied to produce small and various-shaped components without making a formed electrode. The EDM surface of
1 mm Ra is improved to 0.2 mm Ra by applying ECM. Second, in order to get a smoother surface, a new EDM and ECM-lapping
complex machining technology is developed. The surface roughness of a machined hole is improved to 0.07 mm Ra by applying 2 min of
ECM lapping. The surface nishing of a hole shape is demonstrated with the complex machining technology.
r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: EDM; ECM; Lapping; Complex machining; Environmentally conscious machining
1. Introduction
Material-forming technology using a mold is well known
as a short cycle time process for the cost-effective mass
production of micro products. Such miniature compo-
nents, the cross section area of which is smaller than
10 mm
2
, require the use of advanced micro-molding
techniques. Electrodischarge machining (EDM) has been
employed as a useful mold-making technology. With
EDM, difcult-to-cut materials can be processed with an
electric discharge, and a precise form can be obtained by
copying a machined electrode shape. While EDM has
many advantages for making micro molds, the EDM
surface is generally rough and has a heat-affected layer and
many micro cracks. To nish EDM surfaces, hand lapping
has been applied. Because the technology needs know-how
and skill, it is time consuming and expensive.
The nal goal of the research is to construct an
automation system which can smooth the EDM surface.
The system will be applied for small parts and molds. It is
desirable that the nishing technology is carried out on the
same machine tool, because the system needs high accuracy
and high machining speed.
In order to achieve this goal, rst, a machine tool shown
in Fig. 1 was developed [1]. It is a desktop-size machine
tool. Small and lightweight machine tools make layout and
re-layout easier. Furthermore, the developed machine tool
has ve machining heads which can be changed as
machining method changes. These heads eliminate setting
error of work piece by carrying out several machining
methods from rough machining to nishing on the same
machine tool.
Second, EDM and electrochemical machining (ECM)
complex machining technology has been developed [2].
ECM is applied to nish an EDM surface, because ECM
has characteristics that can produce smooth and stress-free
surfaces without difcult monitoring and/or controlling of
the machining condition [3,4]. Furthermore, the same
machining liquid and electrode are used in EDM and ECM
ARTICLE IN PRESS
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0890-6955/$ - see front matter r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2005.11.009

Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 298 61 7204; fax: +81 298 61 7201.
E-mail addresses: t.kurita@aist.go.jp (T. Kurita), hattori.m@aist.go.jp
(M. Hattori).
complex machining. Therefore, the construction of a
simple complex machining automation system is possible
with EDM and ECM processes. Usually, an oil-based
dielectric is used in EDM, a chemical electrolyte is used in
ECM. This kind of liquid is harmful both to the
environment and to human health. In this study, distilled
water is used as the dielectric and electrolyte.
Two types of EDM and ECM complex machining are
investigated in this paper. One is with a formed electrode,
and the other is by scanning with a simple-shape electrode.
Machining with electrode scanning is applied to produce
small and various-shaped components.
Furthermore, in order to get a very smooth surface,
ECM lapping is developed and applied to an EDM surface.
In ECM lapping, ceramic abrasive is mixed with the
electrolyte. The abrasive removes the oxidized surface layer
which is generated by ECM. Its removal leads to a high-
efciency ECM process because the oxide layer impedes the
electric current ow in ECM.
The goals in this research are as follows
Demonstrating EDM and ECM complex machining on
the same machine tool.
Showing the possibility of ECM lapping by comparing
the machining results of only ECM, only lapping and
ECM lapping. Investigating the proper conditions for
the ECM lapping process.
Demonstrating the surface nishing of the complex
shape hole using the complex machining.
2. EDM and ECM complex machining with a formed
electrode
EDM-shaping and ECM-nishing complex machining
with a formed electrode is discussed in this section. The
following steps are performed in sequence on the same
machine tool. First, EDM shaping is carried out inside a
container which is lled with distilled water. A 3-mm
diameter copper rod is used. The work material is 61 HRC
hardened steel. Second, ECM hole nishing is carried out
by shifting from an EDM to an ECM power supply. The
same electrode (Cu) and machining liquid (water) are used
for the complex machining. Before carrying out such a
complex machining experiment, preliminary experiments of
each machining process were carried out in order to
investigate suitable conditions for each machining process.
2.1. Preliminary EDM experiment
The preliminary EDM hole machining experiment is
carried out. Fig. 2 shows the depth of the hole and the
electrode wear versus machining time. In the early stage,
the depth increases proportionally to the time. Later, the
removal rate decreases. This phenomenon is caused by the
following processes: rst, the depth of the hole increases
over time; second, the ushing out of contamination
becomes difcult; nally, the discharge frequency becomes
lower due to the contamination. The wear shows the same
tendency as the hole depth. The ratio of the wear length to
the hole depth is about 20%.
2.2. Preliminary ECM experiment
EDM drilling is performed for 4 min and the preliminary
ECM hole machining is carried out on this hole. Fig. 3
shows the surface roughness and ECM gap versus
machining time. In order to stop discharging, only the
capacitance is cut off when the machining method is
changed from EDM to ECM. To avoid a short circuit,
resistance is needed. Therefore, the same resistance is used
in ECM. The ECM gap is dened as the half value of the
difference between the width of the nished groove and the
diameter of the electrode. The roughness of the EDM
machined surface can be improved by applying ECM.
After 120 s, an initial roughness of 1 mm Ra was lowered to
ARTICLE IN PRESS
EDM/ECM Power
supply input
0.75kVA
Stage travel range 200x110x110mm
Feed speed range 0-600mm/sec
Liquid container
size
103x133x62mm
Resolution 0.1f m
Liquid tank
volume
1 L
Machine tool size 557x604x655mm
Machine tool
weight
80kg
Fig. 1. A desktop-size machine tool.
T. Kurita, M. Hattori / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 46 (2006) 18041810 1805
0.6 mm Ra. On the other side, the EDM gap shows 10 mm at
the ECM machining time of 0 s. In the early stage, the
ECM gap increases rapidly, and the rate of increase rate
decreases with ECM time. Because the surface roughness
has a steady value after a machining time of 120 s, the
ECM machining time is set at 120 s in the hole nishing
process of the complex machining experiment. There is no
wear of the electrode in ECM.
2.3. Complex machining experiment
The complex machining experiment is carried out. The
formed electrode is machined from a 3-mm diameter
copper rod with a 0.5-mm-diameter square end-mill. The
height of the shape is 500 mm. With this electrode, EDM is
carried out. Fig. 4(a) shows a photo of the EDM shaped
hole. The depth of the hole is 600 mm. Fig. 4(b) shows the
ECM nished hole. The same electrode (Cu) and machin-
ing liquid (water) are used in ECM. The ECM hole
nishing time is 120 s. The roughness of the EDM-
machined surface is improved by applying ECM. A surface
roughness of 1.0 mm Ra is lowered to 0.6 mm Ra. Fig. 4
indicates that EDM and ECM complex machining is
successfully carried out.
3. Scanning EDM and ECM complex machining
Although EDM and ECM complex machining with a
formed electrode can be performed on the same machine
tool, the ratio of electrode wear length to hole depth in
EDM is 20%. It is difcult to maintain high form accuracy
of the formed electrode.
Another type of complex machining to prevent effect of
electrode wear is investigated in this section. EDM and
ECM are carried out by scanning a copper rod of 1-mm
diameter. Scanning EDM [5] and ECM technology by
using a small and simple shape electrode does not need a
formed electrode in the complex machining and covers a
variety of machining shapes in a short time.
First, EDM is carried out inside a container lled with
distilled water. A 1-mm-diameter copper rod is used. The
work material is hardened steel. Second, ECM nishing is
ARTICLE IN PRESS
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Tool wear length
Depth of hole
D
e
p
t
h

o
f

h
o
l
e
,


E
l
e
c
t
r
o
d
e

w
e
a
r

(
m
m
)
Time (s)
Fig. 2. Depth of hole and tool wear versus machining time. Resistance:
460 O; voltage: 200 V; capacitance: 10 nF.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 50 100 150 200
ECM gap
Surface roughness
Time (s)
S
u
r
f
a
c
e

r
o
u
g
h
n
e
s
s

(

m

R
a
)
E
C
M

g
a
p

(

m
)
Fig. 3. Surface roughness and ECM gap versus machining time.
Resistance: 460 O; voltage: 200 V.
1 mm 1 mm
(d) (c)
(a) (b)
Fig. 4. Photo of machined hole: (a) after EDM; (b) after ECM; and
formed electrode: (c) before machining; and (d) after ECM.
T. Kurita, M. Hattori / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 46 (2006) 18041810 1806
carried out by shifting from an EDM to an ECM power
supply. The same electrode (Cu) and machining liquid
(water) are used for the complex machining.
Fig. 5 illustrates the scanning direction of the electrode
in the EDM process. The electrode is fed in the Z direction
in order to compensate for the wear of the electrode. The
ratio of vertical movement of the electrode to the
horizontal movement of the electrode is called the ratio
of diagonal feed in this paper. In the early stage, the depth
of the machined groove increases as the movement in the X
and/or Y direction if the ratio of the diagonal feed is kept
constant. Later, the groove becomes a constant depth.
3.1. Scanning EDM
Fig. 6 shows the variation of the cross section of the
machined groove with the ratio of diagonal feed. The cross
sections are measured with a surface roughness tester.
While the depth of the groove increases with the increase of
the ratio of diagonal feed, the shape of the cross section of
the groove becomes triangular. This is attributed to the
following reason. The scanned electrode is worn to a cone
shape, because the electrode wear occurs on the front part
in the scanning direction and the electrode is rotating. The
shape of the cross section of the groove is copied from the
shape of the cross section of the electrode. The cone shape
of the electrode depends on the ratio of diagonal feed.
While the wear rate of the electrode is not measured
because it is difcult to measure the removal volume of the
electrode and work material, the wear rate of the electrode
in this sections electrical condition is measured with EDM
drilling. There is not much difference between the wear rate
with the electrical condition described in Section 2 and in
this section.
3.2. Scanning ECM
Scanning ECM is carried out after the EDM. A
machining voltage of 150 V, capacitance of 47 nF, resis-
tance of 220 O, and ratio of diagonal feed of 1/80 are set as
the EDM machining conditions. Only the capacitance is
cut off when the machining process is changed from EDM
to ECM. The ECM scanning path of the electrode is the
same as the EDM path. The ratio of diagonal feed is 0. Fig.
7 shows the surface roughness and ECM gap versus the
feed rate of the electrode. The surface roughness in EDM
can be improved by applying ECM. An initial roughness of
0.9 mm Ra is lowered to 0.2 mm Ra. On the other side, the
EDM gap decreases with the increase of the feed rate of the
electrode.
3.3. Scanning EDM and ECM complex machining
The complex machining experiment by scanning elec-
trode is demonstrated. A box-shaped cavity with the base
shape of a 3-mm square is machined on hardened steel. Fig.
8 shows the scanning path of the electrode for the cavity
machining. The scanning path consists of the four steps
shown in Fig. 8. The cycle is repeated in the cavity
ARTICLE IN PRESS
Travel distance in X, Y direction
Work material
Electrode
Scanning direction
of electrode
Travel distance in Z direction
Fig. 5. Scanning direction of electrode.
500m
50m
500m
50m
1/15 1/20 1/25
1/30 1/40 1/50 1/80
1/10
Fig. 6. The variation of cross section of the machined groove with the
ratio of diagonal feed. Electrode: Cu; work piece: hardened steel; voltage:
150 V; capacitance: 47 nF; resistance: 220 O.
S
u
r
f
a
c
e

r
o
u
g
h
n
e
s
s

(

m
R
a
)
Electrode: Cu
Work: Hardened steel
Voltage: 150V
Resistance: 220
Roughness
ECM gap
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
E
C
M

g
a
p

(

m
)
Feed rate (m/s)
Fig. 7. The surface roughness and EDM gap versus feed rate of electrode.
T. Kurita, M. Hattori / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 46 (2006) 18041810 1807
machining. Fig. 9 shows the photo of the EDM-shaped
cavity and the ECM-nished cavity. First, EDM is carried
out with a 1/80 ratio of diagonal feed. The cycle which is
shown in Fig. 8 is repeated 12 times. The depth of the
cavity is 700 mm. ECM nishing is carried out after EDM.
The feed rate of the electrode is 10 mm/s. The scanning path
is the same as in the case of EDM. The number of scanning
time is one. EDM and ECM are performed in sequence on
the same machine tool. The same electrode (Cu) and
machining liquid (water) are used in the EDM and ECM.
The machining time of EDM is 2 h 30 min and that of
ECM is 30 min. The surface roughness in EDM is
improved by applying ECM. The surface roughness of
the bottom of the hole, 1.23 mm Ra, is lowered to 0.5 mm
Ra. Fig. 9 indicates that EDM and ECM complex
machining by the scanning electrode is successfully carried
out.
4. EDM and ECM-lapping complex machining
In the previous section, EDM and ECM complex
machining is carried out. The surface roughness of EDM,
1.0 mm Ra, can be reduced to 0.2 mm Ra by applying ECM.
Although the surface after ECM is glossy, a mirror nished
surface cannot be produced by applying ECM. Therefore,
in order to get a smoother surface (under 0.1 mm Ra), ECM
lapping, which is a newly developed technique, is applied to
the EDM surface. In ECM lapping, ceramic abrasive is
mixed into the electrolyte. The abrasive removes the
surface oxide layer which is generated by ECM. The result
is a high-efciency ECM process, because the oxide layer
shuts off the owing electric current in the ECM.
4.1. Effectiveness of ECM lapping
In order to know the effectiveness of ECM lapping, three
kinds of machining are carried out individually on a blind
hole surface processed by EDM: only ECM, only abrasive
polishing, and ECM lapping. The work material is 61 HRC
hardened steel and 3-mm-diameter Cu rod is used as the
electrode. The bottom surfaces of these holes are com-
pared. In the experiment, Al
2
O
3
powder is mixed into the
electrolyte (water). The grain size is 5.5 mm and concentra-
tion is 60 g/l. Fig. 10 shows the roughness is less in the
ECM lapping than in the other two kinds of machining,
while the machining time with ECM lapping is shorter than
that of the other two machining methods. Therefore, it is
shown that ECM lapping is an effective method for
removing EDM bumps.
4.2. Relationship between surface roughness and grain size
Fig. 11 shows the relationship between the surface
roughness and grain size. As stated earlier, Al
2
O
3
powder is
mixed into the electrolyte. The average grain sizes of 2, 5.5,
9, and 13 mm are used and the density is 60 g/l. Table 1
shows the grit number, grain size and conductivity of the
electrolyte. The electrode cross section, which is a 3-mm-
diameter half-circle, is used in order to supply the abrasive
to the bottom surface of the hole. The rotation speed of the
electrode is 3000 rpm. All ECM-lapped surface roughness
in this research is smoother than the best surface roughness
with ECM (0.2 mm Ra). While there is little data spread
between the surface roughness with the 5.5, 9, 13 mm grain
sizes, the surface roughness with 2 mm has the maximum
Ra value and minimum Rmax value, as shown in Fig. 11. It
is considered that the Rmax value is the minimum because
relatively the high-conductivity electrolyte enhances the
ECM effect and removes more area of the work material
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(a)
1
2
(b)
3
4
(d)
7
8
(c)
5
6
2
.
5
0.25
Fig. 8. The scanning path of the electrode for the cavity marching.
Fig. 9. Photo of EDM machined cavity and ECM nished cavity.
Electrode: Cu; work: hardened steel; voltage: 150 V; Pick feed: 0.25 mm;
ratio of diagonal feed in EDM: 1/80; feed rate in ECM: 10 mm/s.
T. Kurita, M. Hattori / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 46 (2006) 18041810 1808
when the distance between the work material and the
electrode is closer. And, because the ECM gap in the
machining conditions of this research becomes much larger
than the grain size, the rotation of the electrode and the
viscosity of the electrolyte cannot apply enough energy to
the abrasive to remove the oxide layer on the work
material. Therefore, the Ra value is the maximum with a
compound size of 2 mm because the effect of complex
machining is not enough. It is expected that if the ECM-
lapping gap becomes closer by changing the machining
conditions (rotation speed of electrode, conductivity of
electrolyte and machining voltage, etc.), low roughness
(Ra) machining can be done with 2 mm grains.
4.3. Relationship between surface roughness and
conductivity of electrolyte
Because EDM and ECM-lapping sludge is mixed into
the electrolyte, the conductivity of the electrolyte increases
if the number of complex machining time with the same
electrolyte. Therefore, many EDM and ECM lapping are
carried out and the conductivity of the electrolyte is
measured to show the relationship between surface rough-
ness and conductivity of electrolyte. The abrasive with an
average grain size of 5.5 mm is used in this experiment. The
bottom surface of each machined hole is measured. Fig. 12
shows the relationship between the surface roughness and
conductivity of electrolyte. Although there is a data spread
of the value of the surface roughness of the holes as the
conductivity of electrolyte changes, the tendency shown is
that the value of the surface roughness decreases with the
increase of the conductivity of the electrolyte. Relatively
smooth surface lapping can be performed with high
conductivity of the electrolyte. On the other hand, the
machining gap increases with the increase of conductivity
of electrolyte because the current density increases. A large
machining gap leads to poor form accuracy. Furthermore,
it is considered that high electrolyte conductivity causes
electrode wear, corrosion of the work material and low-
efciency EDM. In order to respond to work quality
demands such as surface roughness and form accuracy in
practical applications, it is important to control the
conductivity of the electrolyte.
4.4. ECM lapping with sun and planet motion tool
The relationship between the surface roughness and
grain size, and the relationship between the surface
roughness and conductivity of electrolyte, are shown in
ARTICLE IN PRESS
500m 500m 500m 500m
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Fig. 10. Surface of machined hole. Electrode: Cu; machining liquid: water.
(a) After EDM (b) Only ECM (c) Only polishing (d) ECM+Polishing (ECM lapping)
Surface roughness (mmRa): 1.0 0.3 0.5 0.07
Machining time after EDM (min): 4 4 3
Rmax
Ra
0.500
1.000
1.500
0 5 10 15
Grain size (m)
S
u
r
f
a
c
e

r
o
u
g
h
n
e
s
s

(

m
R
a
)
Fig. 11. The relationship between surface roughness and grain size.
Voltage: 15 V.
Table 1
Grit number, grain size and conductivity of electrolyte
Grit no. (#) Grain size (mm) Conductivity (mS/cm)
3000 2 23.7
1200 5.5 10.64
800 9 11.68
600 13 10.52
T. Kurita, M. Hattori / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 46 (2006) 18041810 1809
Sections 4.2 and 4.3. In these sections, the rotating
electrode cross section, which is a half-circle, is used
because it is necessary to supply enough electrolyte, which
is a mixed abrasive. In such a case, the cross section of the
electrode should be machined perfect half-circle otherwise,
a pit or projection is generated on the center of the bottom
surface of the hole. Furthermore, the surface does not have
a mirror nish because it has a concentric ring structure. In
order to overcome these problems, sun and planet motion
is applied to the complex machining. The electrode and
work are rotated and set a distance between the center of
rotation. Fig. 13 shows the photo of a lapped hole with
only rotating a 3-mm-diameter half-circle electrode and
with the sun and planet moving a 3-mm-diameter
electrode. The bottom surface of the hole with a half-circle
electrode has a projection and a concentric ring structure.
The surface roughness of the hole is 0.07 mm Ra. On the
other hand, the surface with the sun and planet-moving
electrode does not have any pit, projection and concentric
ring structure. The center area of the hole has a mirror-
nished surface. The roughness of the area is 0.06 mm Ra.
It is considered that the complex shape surface can be
nished by applying the combination of the ECM lapping
and EDM with the electrode scanning technology.
Another hole is processed with EDM and ECM-lapping
complex machining, as shown in Fig. 14. While the
diameter of the cross section of the hole changes as the
hole depth changes, the inside surface of the hole is
smoothed by applying the EDM and ECM-lapping
complex machining technology.
5. Conclusions
(1) EDM and ECM complex machining: with a formed
electrode and by scanning with a simple-shape elec-
trode are demonstrated.
(2) The possibility of the EDM and ECM-lapping complex
machining technology is shown.
(3) The EDM surface is improved to 0.06 mm Ra by
applying ECM lapping.
(4) Sun and planet electrode movement is newly applied to
ECM lapping, and surface nishing of the complex hole
shape is successfully carried out.
References
[1] T. Kurita, M. Hattori, Development of New-Concept Desk Top Size
Machine Tool, International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufac-
ture 45(78) 959965.
[2] T. Kurita, S. Watanabe, M. Hattori, Study of Electrodischarge and
Electrochemical Micro Machining TechnologyEnvironmentally
Conscious Machining with Hybrid Micro Machine Tool, in: Proceed-
ings of the International Workshop on Environment Benign Manu-
facturing, 2001, pp. 6572.
[3] T. Sato, Electrochemical machining and chemical machining, Asakura
Publishing Company, 1970 (in Japanese).
[4] K. Chikamori, Possibilities of Electrochemical Micromachining,
International Journal of Japan Society for Precision Engineering 32
(1998) 3742.
[5] N. Tomimoto, T. Magara, T. Yuzawa, N. Watanabe, Micro electric
discharge scanning technology, Journal of Japan Society for Precision
Engineering 64 (1998) 17271730 (in Japanese).
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12 13 14 15 16
Conductivity of electrolyte (S/cm)
0.000
0.500
1.000
1.500
Rmax
Ra
S
u
r
f
a
c
e

r
o
u
g
h
n
e
s
s

(

m
R
a
)
Fig. 12. Relationship between surface roughness and conductivity of
electrolyte. Voltage: 15 V; grain size: 5.5 mm.
1mm
With half circle With sun and planet motion
Fig. 13. Lapped hole with rotating half-circle electrode and sun and
planet motion electrode.
1mm
Fig. 14. Example of EDM and ECM-lapping complex machining.
T. Kurita, M. Hattori / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 46 (2006) 18041810 1810