Experimental Investigation and Multi Objective Optimization of Process Parameters in Micro-EDM

This study investigates the optimization of process parameters of micro electric discharge machining (micro-EDM) for stainless steel grade 304 (SS 304) on the machining characteristics using the grey relational analysis (GRA) method. Twenty seven experimental runs based on the orthogonal array (OA) of Taguchi method have been carried out. The multi-objective optimization of the process parameters viz. material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), diametral overcut (DOC) and taper (T) has been performed. The current is identified to be the most influential factor of the MRR, TWR and the T, and the pulse-off time has an impact on DOC. Additionally, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is also carried out to identify the most significant factor in which the current is observed to be the most significant factor. In-depth studies have also been made to examine the influence of various process parameters through SEM micrographs.