Evaluating the effectiveness of the TOPSIS approach for three-wire electrode machining of D2 steel using the wire EDM method

Due to the high demand for D2 steel as a tool material and the difficulty of the machine, optimization of process parameters in advanced manufacturing machines is needed. This study investigates three-wire electrodes: brass, coated copper, and annealed copper, analyzing their impact on tool material. Employing 0.25 mm wires, 10 mm D2 steel cubes are cut for consistent comparison. An L27 orthogonal array tests six parameters at three levels, optimizing with analytic hierarchy process technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS). The response parameters were the material removal rate (MRR) and kerf width. Pulse on/off time, wire tension, spark voltage, input current, and wire feed rate vary systematically for each wire. The tests validate the efficacy of the AHP-TOPSIS method in optimizing wire electrical discharge machining parameters and machining performance. Analysis of variance reveals pulse-on and pulse-off times as crucial factors for various wire electrodes. Under diverse conditions, pulse duration increases spark efficiency. Based on the AHP-TOPSIS method results, weights of outputs revealed that the annealed copper wire yields the highest MRR value (0.232 mm 3 /s). The brass wire exhibited the lowest MRR value (0.127 mm 3 /s) compared to the others.