New Developments in Electro-Chemical Machining

Published in the Annals of the CIRP, Vol. 48/2/1999. Electrochemical machining (ECM) has traditionally been used in highly specialized fields such as those of the aerospace and defense industries. It is now increasingly being applied in other industries where parts with difficult-to-cut materials and complex geometry are required. In this paper, the latest advances are discussed, and the principal issues in ECM development and related research are raised. Developments in tool design, pulse current, micro-shaping, finishing, numerical control, environmental concerns, hybrid processes, and recent industrial applications are covered. Authors: K.P. Rajurkar and D. Zhu (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA), J.A. McGeough (University of Edinburgh, UK), J. Kozak (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland), A. De Silva (Glasgow Caledonian University, UK).