Valentinčič, J.; Zeidler, H.; Böttger, T.; Jerman, M. Influence of Anode Immersion Speed on Current and Power in Plasma Electrolytic Polishing. Micromachines2024, 15, 783.
Valentinčič, J.; Zeidler, H.; Böttger, T.; Jerman, M. Influence of Anode Immersion Speed on Current and Power in Plasma Electrolytic Polishing. Micromachines 2024, 15, 783.
Valentinčič, J.; Zeidler, H.; Böttger, T.; Jerman, M. Influence of Anode Immersion Speed on Current and Power in Plasma Electrolytic Polishing. Micromachines2024, 15, 783.
Valentinčič, J.; Zeidler, H.; Böttger, T.; Jerman, M. Influence of Anode Immersion Speed on Current and Power in Plasma Electrolytic Polishing. Micromachines 2024, 15, 783.
Abstract
Plasma electrolytic polishing (PeP) is mainly used to improve the surface quality and thus the performance of electrically conductive parts. It is usually used as an anodic process, i.e. the workpiece is negatively charged. However, the process is susceptible to high current peaks during the formation of the vapour skin especially when polishing workpieces with a large surface area. In this study, the critical influence of workpiece submerging velocity on the current peaks and the average power during the initialisation of the PeP process is investigated for a workpiece size of microreactor mould insert. Through systematic experimentation and analysis, this work provides insights into the control of the initialisation process by modulating the workpiece submerging velocity. The results clarify the relationship between submerging velocity, peak current and average power and provide a novel approach to improve process efficiency in PeP. The highest peak current and average power occur when the electrolyte splashes over the top of the workpiece and not, as expected, when the workpiece touches the electrolyte. By submerging the workpiece while the voltage is applied to the workpiece and counter electrode, the reduction in both parameters is over 80 %.
Keywords
plasma electrolytic polishing (PeP); peak current; average power; process initialisation
Subject
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.