Some peculiarities of electric spark machining of narrow slots

The results are presented of studying the effects of machining parameters and conditions on the rate of formation of microscores and the width of the slots when manufacturing the slots by hard-alloy tool-electrodes of 0.06 to 0.60 mm2 cross-section, in the stainless steel plates of 0.30 mm thick. It has been found, that with the constant value of the pulse energy stored in capacitors shunting the electrodes, the time of manufacturing the slots decreases three times as much with the decrease in the length of the discharge circuit by an order (with the practically invariable values of the slot width, microscores size and wear of the tool-electrode). With the pulse energy decrease by an order the wear of the tool-electrode and the size of microscores decrease twice as much (without a substantial change in the time of manufacturing the slots)