Surface Quality Improvement of 3D Microstructures Fabricated by Micro-EDM with a Composite 3D Microelectrode

Three-dimensional (3D) microelectrodes used for processing 3D microstructures in micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) can be readily prepared by laminated object manufacturing (LOM). However, the microelectrode surface always appears with steps due to the theoretical error of LOM, significantly reducing the surface quality of 3D microstructures machined by micro-EDM with the microelectrode. To address the problem above, this paper proposes a filling method to fabricate a composite 3D microelectrode and applies it in micro-EDM for processing 3D microstructures without steps. The effect of bonding temperature and Sn film thickness on the steps is investigated in detail. Meanwhile, the distribution of Cu and Sn elements in the matrix and the steps is analyzed by the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Experimental results show that when the Sn layer thickness on the interface is 8 μm, 15 h after heat preservation under 950 °C, the composite 3D microelectrodes without the steps on the surface were successfully fabricated, while Sn and Cu elements were evenly distributed in the microelectrodes. Finally, the composite 3D microelectrodes were applied in micro-EDM. Furthermore, 3D microstructures without steps on the surface were obtained. This study verifies the feasibility of machining 3D microstructures without steps by micro-EDM with a composite 3D microelectrode fabricated via the proposed method.