Electrode Design for Oscillating EDM

In die-sinking EDM, the electrode is moved only in the Z-axis direction, while in oscillating EDM, electrodes are oscillated in both the X-axis and Y-axis directions to realize high accuracy machining. There are many ways of designing electrodes for oscillating EDM. However, because the form of electrodes and subsequently the oscillating patterns of these electrodes depend on the shapes of the die/mold used, they become complicated when the die/mold shape is complicated, and electrode design takes hours in such cases. This paper therefore proposes a new approach of designing electrodes for oscillating EDM. Some oscillating patterns based on the proposed approach are also analyzed from the viewpoint of usefulness.