Influence of the surface roughness of the electrode tool on the productivity in electric discharge machining of steel

Abstract

The influence of the surface roughness of the electrode tool on the productivity in electric discharge machining of 38Х2Н2МА steel is investigated. In the finishing of 38Х2Н2МА steel, there is no need to use electrode tools with surface microprojections shorter than 1.1 μm in order to ensure that the roughness of the machined surface corresponds to microprojections of height 1.1–1.6 μm. In practice, the manufacture of electrode tools with microprojections smaller than 1.1 μm is uneconomical.