LAUSR

Abstract Electrical discharge-assisted milling (EDAM) is proposed for difficult-to-cut metal materials. This machining method includes a milling operation and thermal assistance from electrical discharge machining (EDM). A special tool for EDAM was developed using two cemented carbide inserts and two copper electrodes. The inserts can easily cut the materials that are softened by the heat from EDM. The tool design was validated by analyzing the voltage signal, spark release process, and electrode wear during the machining process. Different energy levels were investigated for the electrical discharge assistance, including their effect on the morphological characteristics and composition of the modified layer. An experiment was carried out to compare EDAM and conventional milling using Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy. The results show that EDAM can significantly reduce the tool wear and cutting force compared to conventional milling. The surface roughness was also greatly improved.