Ki Young Song

One-step process for superhydrophobic metallic surfaces by wire electrical discharge machining.

We present a direct one-step method to fabricate dual-scale superhydrophobic metallic surfaces using wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). A dual-scale structure was spontaneously formed by the nature of exfoliation characteristic of Al 7075 alloy surface during WEDM process. A primary microscale sinusoidal pattern was formed via a programmed WEDM process, with the wavelength in the range of 200 to 500 μm. Notably, a secondary roughness in the form of microcraters (average roughness, Ra: 4.16 to 0.41 μm) was generated during the exfoliation process without additional chemical treatment. The low surface energy of Al 7075 alloy (γ = 30.65 mJ/m(2)) together with the presence of dual-scale structures appears to contribute to the observed superhydrophobicity with a static contact angle of 156° and a hysteresis less than 3°. To explain the wetting characteristics on dual-scale structures, we used a simple theoretical model. It was found that Cassie state is likely to present on the secondary roughness in all fabricated surfaces. On the other hand, either Wenzel or Cassie state can present on the primary roughness depending on the characteristic length of sinusoidal pattern. In an optimal condition of the serial cutting steps with applied powers of ∼30 and ∼8 kW, respectively, a stable, superhydrophobic metallic surface was created with a sinusoidal pattern of 500 μm wavelength.

Micro electrical discharge drilling of tungsten carbide using deionized water

Micro electrical discharge machining (micro EDM) is an effective machining method for cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide (WC-Co); however, this material is susceptible to electrolytic corrosion when deionized water is used as the working fluid with a dc power source for the RC circuit. In this study, a bipolar pulse power source and a triangular electrode were used in order to reduce the electrolytic corrosion phenomenon during micro EDM using an RC discharge circuit. A bipolar pulse power source reduces the positive polarity period of the workpiece by periodically alternating the polarity of the workpiece and electrode and decreases the average gap voltage at the machining gap. Therefore, electrolytic corrosion, which is a type of electrochemical reaction on the positively charged workpiece, is reduced by these electrical conditions. The triangular electrode has a smaller side area as compared with the cylindrical electrode. Since the electrolytic corrosion is an electrochemical reaction between the side of the electrode and the surface of the workpiece, the small side area of the triangular electrode could reduce these reactions. With the aid of the bipolar pulse power source and the triangular electrode, an electrolytic-corrosion-free hole could be machined on the WC-Co workpiece using deionized water.

Micro electrical discharge milling of WC-Co using a deionized water spray and a bipolar pulse

Micro electrical discharge milling (ED-milling) is an effective machining process for manufacturing micro structures on hard metals. This method of machining generally uses kerosene or deionized water as the working fluid, both of which are associated with some problems. Kerosene results in considerable electrode wear and deionized water causes electrolytic corrosion in workpieces. In particular, when cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co), which has superior strength, hardness and wear resistance, is machined by electrical discharge machining (EDM), the problem of electrolytic corrosion arises as a matter of course since the material is very susceptible to electrolyzation. In this study, spray ED-milling with a bipolar pulsed power source and deionized water was conducted to solve the above problems. This method uses a water spray, which is a mixture of compressed air and deionized water. The spray is injected into the machining gap between the electrode and the workpiece. WC-Co was used for the workpiece and micro grooves were machined on the workpiece. As a result, using the spray ED-milling method, high-quality micro grooves were manufactured on the WC-Co workpiece with no electrolytic corrosion and almost-zero electrode wear.

Fabrication of micro-lenticular patterns using WEDM-grooving and electrolytic polishing

Lenticular pattern panels have been used for displaying 3D effects and their precise fabrication methods have attracted great attention. In this study, we present a novel fabrication method for lenticular patterns on a stainless steel mold (AISI 304). The fabrication process was composed of two steps. First, the lenticular shape groove was machined by wire-electrical discharge machining (EDM) (WEDM-grooving). In this step, EDM was adopted because it is useful for machining hard-to-cut material such as WC-Co, stainless steel and titanium, and a newly developed wire grooving system ensures highly accurate machining. Second, electrolytic polishing was carried out afterward to improve the surface quality since the machined surface resulting from the WEDM-grooving was rough. The entire fabrication processes required a single machine and deionized water only; thus, the step change time was minimized and the method was eco-friendly. Parametric tests for the WEDM-grooving conditions as well as for the proper electrolytic polishing conditions (voltage, offset and feedrate) were executed to fabricate the grooves with fine surface. Excessive electrolytic polishing conditions caused pitting and damage from the additional sparks on the surface of the mold. On the other hand, inadequate machining conditions resulted in an incomplete electrolytic polishing process. Using this multi-step process, a lenticular pattern mold with high surface quality was machined. The lenticular pattern PDMS lens was successfully produced using the stainless steel mold.