Research Projects

India uses over 41.4 billion cubic meters of water per year for industrial and energy production, with 70 of which is dumped without treatment. Water is a major constituent of metalworking fluids (MWFs) used in the manufacturing industry for cooling and lubrication of workpieces and tools. Disposal of these fluids has negative impacts on the economy, environment, and human health. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is increasingly used in aerospace, automobile, and other industries for shaping, cutting, deburring, and finishing. Disposal of dielectric waste containing particulates of metal and bacterial growth poses severe environmental and human health hazards. A proposed project addresses these problems by developing novel technologies that could significantly reduce the consumption of liquid dielectrics like water in the EDM process. Atomized dielectric-based EDM uses liquid atomization technology to form atomized droplets of the dielectric liquid that coalesce on impacting the workpiece surface to form a thin, moving liquid film. This film can penetrate the small inter-electrode gap 1-50 microns and effectively perform the function of a dielectric medium and debris flushing. The research aims to develop an efficient atomized-dielectric delivery system for the EDM process using modeling and experimental techniques. The knowledge base generated from this research will be used to develop effective control strategies for controlling the atomization spray parameters to achieve desired machining performance. Collaboration with Sparkonix India Pvt. Ltd will result in an atomized dielectric delivery system that can be retrofitted to any commercially available EDM machine.