Influence of the Rough Surface of a 3D-Printed Tool Electrode on the Workpiece Surface in Copy Piercing Electrical Discharge Machining

The influence of the initial roughness Ra of the working surface of a 3D-printed tool electrode on the quality of the machined workpiece surface is studied experimentally in the copy piercing electrical discharge machining of 12Kh18N10T stainless steel; the tool electrode is produced by selective laser machining (SLM). Preliminary machining of the tool electrode’s working surface reduces the roughness Ra of the machined surface by 6–8%. The initial roughness Ra of the working surface has no influence on the microrelief of the machined surface (the crater morphology and the defect distribution).