Experimental characterisation of lateral machining gap during Pulsed Electrochemical Machining for corrosion resistant tool steel

Pulsed electrochemical machining (PECM) is an established manufacturing technology. Despite ongoing research in the characterisation of the material removal by experiments and Multiphysics simulation, the development of industrial applications and tools is still heavily influenced by experience and empirical methods. One major challenge is the prediction of the gap between cathode and workpiece during machining. In this paper, a method and an experimental setup for the investigation of the lateral machining gap during PECM is presented. The lateral gap is characterised for a corrosion resistant tool steel at different feed rates and voltages. It is found that the lateral gap can be described as a function of the voltage and the current density in the frontal gap divided into two areas. It is found that the voltage and the current density have interacting effects on the lateral gap. The frontal gap as well as the ratio of lateral to frontal gap are discussed.