The capabilities of electrodischarge microdrilling of high aspect ratio holes in ceramic materials

In the first part of the article the review of ceramic materials drilling possibilities was presented. Among the described methods special attention is paid to electrodischarge drilling. This process have especially been predicted for machining difficult-to-cut electrically conductive materials. The second part consist of the results analysis of electrodischarge microdrilling of siliconized silicon carbide. The experiment involves the impact of current amplitude, discharge voltage and pulse time on the hole depth, side gap, linear tool wear and mean drilling speed. The results shows that electrodischarge drilling is a good alternative when machining inhomogeneous ceramic materials and gives possibility to drill high aspect ratio holes with relatively high efficiency (the drilling speed >2 mm/min).