Electrochemical Micromachining with Sinusoidal Signals

In ultra-short pulse electrochemical micro-machining, step voltage signals are used with pulse duration as the only effective control parameter of machining resolution. Decreasing pulse duration increases the machining resolution, but requires an expensive ultra-short pulse power source. A novel electrochemical micromachining technique using sinusoidal signals is proposed in this paper, and a differential equation of the equivalent circuit under sinusoidal signals is developed for the method. From this, the equation of the relationship between machining accuracy and frequency of the sinusoidal signals is provided. Using the equation, machining resolution as a function of the frequency of sinusoidal signals is simulated and compared with the experimental findings. Results show a good correspondence is obtained, and that machining resolution significantly increases with the frequency of the sinusoidal signals. Using the technique, micro structures are fabricated, and good machining resolution is achieved. The proposed technique does not require an expensive ultra-short pulse power source, and as sinusoidal signals are the most readily available electrical signals, this technology will be more convenient in industrial applications.