The effect of surface integrity of components processed by μWEDM

The machining response of metallurgically and mechanically modified materials when they are processed by employing the micro wire EDM (μWEDM) technology is reported in this paper. In particular, the effects of the material microstructure on resulting surface integrity of Al5083 series aluminium alloys after μWEDM processing is investigated. The machining response of an "as received" aluminium alloy was compared against the results obtained on samples processed through extrusion strain hardening and severe plastic deformation. Especially, the process-material effects on the resulting phase content changes and surface hardness after both rough and finishing μWEDM cuts were analyzed. This study shows that an ultra-fine grain Al5083 material maintained its advantageous structural characteristics and superior mechanical properties after μWEDM. The machined surfaces of UFG material displayed a 30% higher micro hardness, when compared with 'as received' and 'conventionally' processed Al5083 aluminium.