Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM Electrodes
Investment casting is a precision casting technology that can produce complex shapes from various materials, particularly difficult-to-cast and difficult-to-machine metallic alloys. Meanwhile, electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a well-known technique for producing ultra-precise mechanical parts...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Thanh Tan Nguyen Van-Thuc Nguyen Van Tron Tran Anh Thi Le Thanh Duy Nguyen Quoc Dung Huynh Minh Tri Ho Minh Phung Dang Hieu Giang Le Van Thanh Tien Nguyen |
| author_facet | Thanh Tan Nguyen Van-Thuc Nguyen Van Tron Tran Anh Thi Le Thanh Duy Nguyen Quoc Dung Huynh Minh Tri Ho Minh Phung Dang Hieu Giang Le Van Thanh Tien Nguyen |
| author_sort | Thanh Tan Nguyen |
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| description | Investment casting is a precision casting technology that can produce complex shapes from various materials, particularly difficult-to-cast and difficult-to-machine metallic alloys. Meanwhile, electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a well-known technique for producing ultra-precise mechanical parts, and electrode quality is crucial. Few studies have explored how rapid prototyping (RP) pattern generation and investment casting influence the final product’s shape, dimensions, and surface roughness. This study investigates EDM electrode fabrication using investment casting and RP-generated epoxy resin patterns. We examine the effects of electrode materials (CuZn5, CuZn30, and FeCr24) on surface roughness, alongside the impact of ceramic shell thickness and RP pattern shrinkage on electrode quality. The EDM electrodes have a shrinkage of 0.8–1.9% and a surface roughness of 3.20–6.35 μm, depending on the material selections. Additionally, the probability of shell cracking decreases with increasing shell thickness, achieving stability at 16.00 mm. This research also applies investment casting electrodes to process DC53 steel. The results indicate that the surface roughness of the workpiece after EDM machining with different electrode materials is in the range of 4.71 µm to 9.88 µm. The result expands the use of investment casting in electrode fabrication, enabling the production of high-precision electrodes with complex profiles and challenging materials, potentially reducing both time and cost. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e43d50f69e2c4f2f935b481e80bb6b15 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-e43d50f69e2c4f2f935b481e80bb6b152025-08-20T01:56:38ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2025-05-0116559510.3390/mi16050595Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM ElectrodesThanh Tan Nguyen0Van-Thuc Nguyen1Van Tron Tran2Anh Thi Le3Thanh Duy Nguyen4Quoc Dung Huynh5Minh Tri Ho6Minh Phung Dang7Hieu Giang Le8Van Thanh Tien Nguyen9Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamInstitute for Nanotechnology, Ho Chi Minh City 71308, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 71307, VietnamFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Van Bao Street, Ward 4, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, VietnamInvestment casting is a precision casting technology that can produce complex shapes from various materials, particularly difficult-to-cast and difficult-to-machine metallic alloys. Meanwhile, electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a well-known technique for producing ultra-precise mechanical parts, and electrode quality is crucial. Few studies have explored how rapid prototyping (RP) pattern generation and investment casting influence the final product’s shape, dimensions, and surface roughness. This study investigates EDM electrode fabrication using investment casting and RP-generated epoxy resin patterns. We examine the effects of electrode materials (CuZn5, CuZn30, and FeCr24) on surface roughness, alongside the impact of ceramic shell thickness and RP pattern shrinkage on electrode quality. The EDM electrodes have a shrinkage of 0.8–1.9% and a surface roughness of 3.20–6.35 μm, depending on the material selections. Additionally, the probability of shell cracking decreases with increasing shell thickness, achieving stability at 16.00 mm. This research also applies investment casting electrodes to process DC53 steel. The results indicate that the surface roughness of the workpiece after EDM machining with different electrode materials is in the range of 4.71 µm to 9.88 µm. The result expands the use of investment casting in electrode fabrication, enabling the production of high-precision electrodes with complex profiles and challenging materials, potentially reducing both time and cost.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/5/595rapid prototypingmicrostructuresshell thicknessshrinkagesurface roughnesscrack |
| spellingShingle | Thanh Tan Nguyen Van-Thuc Nguyen Van Tron Tran Anh Thi Le Thanh Duy Nguyen Quoc Dung Huynh Minh Tri Ho Minh Phung Dang Hieu Giang Le Van Thanh Tien Nguyen Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM Electrodes Micromachines rapid prototyping microstructures shell thickness shrinkage surface roughness crack |
| title | Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM Electrodes |
| title_full | Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM Electrodes |
| title_fullStr | Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM Electrodes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM Electrodes |
| title_short | Insight into Various Casting Material Selections in Rapid Investment Casting for Making EDM Electrodes |
| title_sort | insight into various casting material selections in rapid investment casting for making edm electrodes |
| topic | rapid prototyping microstructures shell thickness shrinkage surface roughness crack |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/5/595 |
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