Case Study for the Use of Vegetable Dielectric Fluid in Die-Sink Electro Discharge Machining (EDM)

EDM process commoly use petroleum based died fluids. The aim of this work is to evaluate alternative fluids to traditional mineral ones. It was analyzed 5 different dielectric fluids derived of seeds. They were compared with kerosene and a mineral oil. The workpiece was speed-steel M2. The machining parameters were pre-established for working with copper and graphite electrodes. The material removal rate, the wear rate of the electrodes, the finishing and morphology of machined surface were all measured. Vegetable based oils showed a competitive performance using cooper and graphite electrodes when compared with mineral based oils.