Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Micro-energy w-EDM Power Source Based on High-frequency Spark Erosion for Making Diamond Heat-Sink Arrays

  • Regular Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Diamond is a typical super-hard material with very high thermal conductivity. This makes is highly suited to heat dissipation from electronic microchips. The stability of its chemical lattice structure, however, means it has no free-electrons and a high melting point, making machining of diamond difficult. In this study, a micro-energy w-EDM (wire-Electric Discharge Machining) power source with dual-capacitance is designed for using high-frequency spark erosion to precisely cut boron-doped nano-polycrystalline diamond (B-NPD) material. The power source design consists of a dual-capacitance circuit, a programmable logic circuit (PLC), and a metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). By utilizing a high-frequency switching dual-capacitance circuit, each capacitor has enough charge/discharge time to create a micro-energy pulse train of uniform iso-pulse on-time (τon) and iso-pulse peak current (Ip). Material removal occurs rapidly so that micro-quantities of diamond are readily removed to reduce the probability of thermal damage and graphitization. The technique allowed successful machining of a highly consistent plate-finned diamond heat-sink array and trapezoid-pillar diamond heat-sink array. Furthermore, manufacturing using the designed low-energy power-source is highly efficient. To estimate machining efficiency in terms of the content of charge per unit volume per unit of time in diamond cutting, “Charge Density (CD)” is proposed and examined as an evaluation criterion. The following are all discussed in detail: work frequency, work capacitance, wire-electrode number and short-circuiting percentage, heat-erosion on fins of different thicknesses, and fin efficiency.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

Af :

Total heat transfer area

A0 :

Heat transfer area on heat-sink bottom

C:

Work capacitance

CD:

Charge density

Cp :

Specific heat capacity

Df :

Duty factor

dpitch :

Top distance between features

F:

Wire tension

Fd :

Wire offset distance

Fr :

Wire-electrode feed-rate

f:

Work frequency

G:

Spark erosion gap

h:

Convection heat transfer coefficient

I:

Current

Ip :

Iso-pulse peak current

K:

Thermal diffusivity

k:

Thermal conductivity

L:

Total cutting length

MBR:

Material burning rate

MRR:

Material removal rate

MRA:

Material removal ability

PCT:

Predetermined cutting time

PSC:

Percentage by short-circuiting

PSCAW :

Percentage by A-wire short-circuiting (%)

PSCBW :

Percentage by B-wire short-circuiting (%)

PSCABW :

Percentage by AB-wire short-circuiting (%)

PSCtotal :

Percentage by total short-circuiting (%)

Q:

Electric charge (coulomb)

\(\dot{Q} {_{fin}}\) :

Heat transfer rate in single heat-sink

\(\dot{Q} {_{0}}\) :

Heat transfer rate on heat-sink bottom

\(\dot{Q} {_{total}}\) :

Total heat transfer rate

R:

Circuit resistance

Rbot :

Bottom circular of feature

RCT:

Real cutting time

Rmax :

Maximum roughness

Rw :

Radius of wire-electrode

SCPDW :

Probability of short-circuiting in dual-wire

Tbot :

Bottom distance between features

tc :

Cutting time

Tdual-wire :

Time of single-slot cutting in dual-wire regime

tm :

Workpiece thickness

tmra :

Unit of time

Tsingle-wire :

Time of single-slot cutting in single-wire regime

ttop :

Top-width of microfeature

u:

Temperature

V:

Work voltage

VR :

Real-time voltage

VC :

Comparison voltage

Vr :

Wire running speed

Vol:

Material removal volume

W:

Slot-width

Ws :

Accumulated energy

ρ⋅Cp :

Heat capacity

τ:

Elapsed time

τn :

Charge time

τp :

Pulse on-time

τon :

Iso-pulse on-time

τr :

Pulse off-time

ηfin :

Fin efficiency

θ0 :

Difference in temperature

References

  1. Lee, Y. L., Jeong, S. T., & Park, S. J. (2014). Study on manufacturing of recycled SiC powder from solar wafering sludge and its application. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 1, 299–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Demazeau, G. (1995). High pressure diamond and cubic boron nitride synthesis. Diamond and Related Materials, 4, 284–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Odake, S., Ohfuji, H., Okuchi, T., Kagi, H., Sumiya, H., & Irifune, T. (2009). Pulsed laser processing of nano-polycrystalline diamond: A comparative study with single crystal diamond. Diamond and Related Materials, 18, 877–880.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Tong, X. C. (2011). Advanced materials for thermal management of electronic packaging (pp. 283–186). New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Zhang, R. J., Lee, S. T., & Lam, Y. W. (1996). Characterization of heavily boron-doped diamond films. Diamond and Related Materials, 5, 1288–1294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Sumiya, H., Ikeda, K., Arimoto, K., & Harano, K. (2016). High wear-resistance characteristic of boron-doped nano-polycrystalline diamond on optical glass. Diamond and Related Materials, 70, 7–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. FACT abrasives Taiwan Co. LTD. (2020). http://www.factdiamond.com.

  8. Wood, J. (2014). Behavioral modeling and linearization of RF power amplifiers (pp. 142–145). Boston: Artech House.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Chen, S. T., & Chen, C. H. (2017). Development of a novel micro w-EDM power source with a multiple Resistor-Capacitor (mRC) relaxation circuit for machining high melting point, -hardness and -resistance materials. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 240, 370–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Yang, Z., Zhang, S., Hu, J., Zhang, Z., Li, K., & Zhao, B. (2020). Study of material removal behavior during laser-assisted ultrasonic dressing of diamond wheel. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 7, 173–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Wu, J., Liu, T., Chen, H., Li, F., Wei, H., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Simulation of laser attenuation and heat transport during direct metal deposition considering beam profile. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 270, 92–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Riveiro, A., Quintero, F., Boutinguiza, M., Val, J. D., Comesaña, R., & Lusquiños, P. J. (2019). Laser cutting: a review on the influence of assist gas. Materials, 12, 157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Kim, K., & Yun, K. S. (2019). Stretchable power-generating sensor array in textile structure using piezoelectric functional threads with hemispherical dome structures. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 6, 699–710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Valenzuela, J.A., Hanover, N.H. (1995). Inductor-charged electric discharge machining power supply. U.S. Patent US5399825.

  15. Koyano, T., & Kunieda, M. (2010). Achieving high accuracy and high removal rate in micro-EDM by electrostatic induction feeding method. CIRP Annals-Manufacturing Technology, 59, 219–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Chung, D. K., & Chu, C. N. (2015). Effect of inductance in micro EDM using high frequency bipolar pulse generator. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 2, 299–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Maradia, U., Knaak, R., Dal Busco, W., Boccadoro, M., & Wegener, K. (2015). A strategy for low electrode wear in meso–micro-EDM. Precision Engineering, 42, 302–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Koyano, T., Sugata, Y., Hosokawa, A., & Furumoto, T. (2017). Micro electrical discharge machining using high electric resistance electrodes. Precision Engineering, 47, 480–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Sommer, C. (2000). Non-traditional machining handbook (pp. 117–124). Advance Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Bishop, O. (2011). Electronics - circuits and systems, 4th Edition. Elsevier Ltd., pp. 31–38.

  21. Chen, S. T., & Yang, S. W. (2017). A high-density, super-high-aspect-ratio microprobe array realized by high-frequency vibration assisted inverse micro w-EDM. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 250, 144–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Chen, S. T., & Jhou, W. Y. (2021). Dual-crankshaft out-of-phase balanced drive mechanism applied to high-frequency scraping of high-density microcavities patterns. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 8(4), 1163–1180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Non-contact wire array tension control device, US patent 10857609 B2 (2018).

  24. Macedo, F. T. B., Wiessner, M., Hollenstein, C., Martendal, C. P., Kuster, F., & Wegener, K. (2019). Anode power deposition in dry EDM. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology, 6, 197–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Chen, S. T., Chen, C. C., & Shih, S. Y. (2021). Efficient microspark erosion-assisted machining of a monocrystalline microdiamond stylus using a heat-avoidance path. Precision Engineering, 72, 426–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Hirao, A., Gotoh, H., & Tani, T. (2018). Some effects on EDM characteristics by assisted ultrasonic vibration of the tool electrode. Procedia CIRP, 68, 76–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Cengel, Y. A., & Ghajar, A. J. (2010). Heat and mass transfer: fundamentals & applications (4th ed., pp. 23–172). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Reznik, A., Richter, V., & Kalish, R. (1998). The re-arrangement of broken bonds in damaged diamond: Graphitization versus annealing back to diamond. Diamond and Related Materials, 7, 317–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Bigot, S., D’Urso, G., Pernot, J. P., Merla, C., & Surleraux, A. (2016). Estimating the energy repartition in micro electrical discharge machining. Precision Engineering, 43, 479–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Liang, J., Nakamura, Y., Zhan, T., Ohno, Y., Shimizu, Y., Katayama, K., Watanabe, T., Yoshida, H., Nagai, Y., Wang, H., Kasu, M., & Shigekawa, N. (2021). Fabrication of high-quality GaAs/diamond heterointerface for thermal management applications. Diamond and Related Materials, 111, 108207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Zhao, D., Zha, S., & Liu, D. (2021). Influence of sputtering and electroless plating of Cr/Cu dual-layer structure on thermal conductivity of diamond/copper composites. Diamond and Related Materials, 115, 108296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China, Taiwan for financially supporting this research under Contract No. MOST 108-2221-E-003-012-. A portion of the work is supported by Messrs. Tsai S.K., Shen M.H. and Xiao X.J. in National Taipei University of Technology. Their assistance is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechatronic Engineering, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Shun-Tong Chen & Li-Wen Huang

Authors
  1. Shun-Tong Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Li-Wen Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shun-Tong Chen.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, ST., Huang, LW. A Micro-energy w-EDM Power Source Based on High-frequency Spark Erosion for Making Diamond Heat-Sink Arrays. Int. J. of Precis. Eng. and Manuf.-Green Tech. 9, 1267–1283 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-021-00396-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-021-00396-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation