Manufacturing With MicroECM

Electrochemical Machining (ECM) has been widely used as a non-traditional three dimensional machining process for a variety of industrial applications. Electrochemical processing permits material removal of metals as diverse as aluminum, brass, tool steels, stainless steels, and titanium. Using cathodic tooling, a conductive electrolyte flowing through the electrode gap, controllable power source, and Faraday’s Law, predictable volumes of metal can be removed from the anodic substrate. Faraday’s Law states that the rate of material removal is proportional to the process current and application time, while Ohm’s Law states that current is inversely proportional to the impedance of the (electrochemical) circuit. MicroECM™ is an application of the ECM process that involves the removal of miniscule volumes of material from anodic substrates while holding micron level dimensional tolerances. This paper describes the process, its requirements, and typical applications for microECM™.