High-precision spindle head with combined function of rotation and inchworm feed for micro-EDM with WEDG

Pei-Yao Cao; Hao Tong; Yong Li; Bao-Quan Li; Feng Yu

doi:10.1007/s40436-025-00556-x

Advances in Manufacturing ›› : 1 -18. DOI: 10.1007/s40436-025-00556-x

Article

High-precision spindle head with combined function of rotation and inchworm feed for micro-EDM with WEDG

Pei-Yao Cao ¹^,²
, Hao Tong ¹^,²
, Yong Li ¹^,²^,^a
, Bao-Quan Li ³
, Feng Yu ³

Author information +

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

²State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

³, Wuxi Micro Research Precise Machinery Technology Co. Ltd., 214013, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding author:

^a liyong@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Pei-Yao Cao

Pei-Yao Cao is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology. His research interests include micro electrical discharging machining.

Hao Tong

Hao Tong is currently working as an associate professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He received the M.S. degree from Yanshan University in 2004 and Ph.D. degree from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2008. His research interests include micro electrical discharging machining, micro electrochemical discharge machining, and electro hybrid machining.

Yong Li

Yong Li is currently working as a professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in 1982, the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Precision Engineering from Niigata University, Japan, in 1987 and 1991. His research interests include micro electrical discharge machining, micro electrochemical machining, ultraprecision machining and multi-energy field hybrid machining.

Bao-Quan Li

Bao-Quan Li is a senior engineer and currently working as the general manager of Wuxi Micro Research Precise Machinery Technology Co. Ltd. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in 1982.

Feng Yu

Feng Yu is currently working as the chief engineer in Wuxi Micro Research Precise Machinery Technology Co. Ltd. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Automation from Shandong University in 2005. He specializes in software development for EDM machines.

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Abstract

The combination of wire electro-discharge grinding (WEDG) and a rotary spindle provides an effective means for the online fabrication of microtool electrodes, thus eliminating secondary clamping errors. However, significant wear of the electrodes occurs during the micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) process, causing rapid degradation of usability. Therefore, for the practical application of micro-EDM in continuous manufacturing processes, it is essential to integrate electrode wear compensation into the spindle feed function. This study proposes a high-precision spindle head with a combined function of rotation and inchworm feed for micro-EDM with WEDG. The spindle head maximizes tool electrode length utilization with a unique arrangement of upper and lower clamps. The separate control of rotational drive and accuracy, as well as the servo feed for machining gap and inchworm compensation, enhanced the electrode’s rotational and feed precision. The measured radial runout is less than 3.9 μm, and the deviation angle of parallelism error equals 0.019°. Utilizing the tangential feed WEDG process, the diameter consistency of the prepared electrodes is less than 2 μm, and the consistency accuracy of electrodes in repeated production is less than 3 μm. Arrayed Φ 65 μm and Φ 40 μm micro-holes with great dimensional consistency are achieved using prepared Φ 55 μm and Φ 30 μm electrodes, respectively. Moreover, electrodes with noncircular cross sections were prepared to machine square and triangular-arrayed micro-holes with high shape and size accuracy. Using the developed servo scanning micro-EDM technology and a layered depth-constrained algorithm, we machined micro-patterns of gears, stars, and special Chinese characters for “Tsinghua University”, as well as arrayed hemispheres, pentagons, and hexagons. The dimensions and shapes are consistent with the design models, with the least cumulative depth errors less than 2 μm and shape errors primarily arise from the inevitable rounded corners due to electrode radius.

Keywords

Micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) / Wire electro-discharge grinding (WEDG) / Spindle head / Inchworm feed / Combined rotation / Error

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Pei-Yao Cao, Hao Tong, Yong Li, Bao-Quan Li, Feng Yu. High-precision spindle head with combined function of rotation and inchworm feed for micro-EDM with WEDG. Advances in Manufacturing 1-18 DOI:10.1007/s40436-025-00556-x

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