Step-down plunge electrodischarge machining
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsDominick John Forenz, Mark Lee Humphrey, Bruce Edwin Klingensmith, Jr.
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Abstract
A method of machining a pattern at a plurality of locations in a workpiece includes positioning a shaped electrode including the pattern at the plurality of locations in a sequence. In some embodiments, the sequence is random. The method further includes forming the pattern at each of the plurality of locations by passing electrical charges repeatedly between the shaped electrode and the workpiece and advancing the shaped electrode into the workpiece for a fraction of a full depth of the pattern. The method further includes repeating the positioning and forming steps a plurality of times until the full depth of the pattern has been formed at each of the plurality of locations.
Claims20
A method of machining a pattern at a plurality of locations in a workpiece, comprising:
- positioning a shaped electrode including the pattern at the plurality of locations in a randomized sequence;
- forming the pattern at each of the plurality of locations by repeatedly discharging repetitive electrical charges between the shaped electrode and the workpiece and advancing the shaped electrode into the workpiece for a fraction of a full depth of the pattern;
- and
- repeating the positioning and forming steps a plurality of times until the full depth of the pattern has been formed at each of the plurality of locations.
A method of plunge electrodischarge machining a pattern at multiple plunge locations in a workpiece using a shaped electrode, comprising:
- determining a full depth of the pattern to be machined at the multiple plunge locations;
- selecting the total number of plunge steps for the shaped electrode to machine the pattern to the full depth;
- determining a plunge depth for each plunge step as a fraction of the full depth;
- for each plunge step for the shaped electrode, randomly generating a sequence of plunge locations and electrodischarge machining the pattern in the workpiece with the shaped electrode at the plunge locations to the plunge depth associated with the plunge step according to the randomly generated sequence of plunge locations.
A plunge electrodischarge machining system, comprising:
- a first fixture in which at least one shaped electrode having a pattern is arranged;
- a second fixture adapted to hold a workpiece in opposing relation to the shaped electrode;
- a positioning device coupled to the shaped electrode;
- a power supply configured to apply a voltage across the shaped electrode and the workpiece;
- and
- a control device which controls the positioning device such that the shaped electrode is repeatedly positioned at a plurality of locations in the workpiece in randomized sequences to form a fraction of a full depth of the pattern in the workpiece at the plurality of locations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.