Accelerated EDM Microstructuring Aided by Electroceramic Transducers

The Institute for Microtechnology in Mainz (ICT-IMM), Germany put a new spin on this old technology. The Sonodrive 300 vibratory spindle uses a patented process to cut machining times, in high-precision micro-drilling operations, by up to 60%. The spindle rotates and vibrates simultaneously, preventing the particles produced by EDM from being deposited in the hole, eliminating the need for additional machining time.

Pictured left,the Sonodrive 300 serial-production vibratory spindle can cut machining times by up to 60%, in high-precision micro-drilling operations, employing a patented process.  (Image: ICT-IMM)

Shown to the left,an animation of piezo motion in PICMA multilayer low-voltage piezo stack: When an A/C voltage is applied to a piezo transducer, it will begin to oscillate, according to the applied voltage and frequency. Note: Typical amplitudes are on the order of 0.1% of the stack’s length. PICMA® piezo actuators survived 100 billion cycles of life-testing by NASA/JPL without failures (Image PI)

Compared with conventional methods, this process delivers substantial speed benefits because the small electrode distances do not allow any flushing in the micron range. The new spindle principle combines high concentricity tolerance of 1 to 2µm at speeds of up to 3,500 rpm with an oscillation of max. 300Hz at amplitudes up to 15 microns.