Optimisation of ECM process during machining of titanium using quality loss function

Titanium is used in different applications like aerospace, power generation, automotive and chemical industries. There are tremendous prospective for this material in dental, medical industries and biomedical engineering. It is found that processing of titanium has various tribulations when it is cut by conventional machining. Unconventional machining of titanium using EDM and LBM has their own limitations. Hence, attempt has made to process, this advance engineering material using electrochemical machining process. This paper presents experimental results based analysis of machining-characteristics during electrochemical machining of titanium material. These results are obtained on commercially pure titanium, utilising indigenously developed cross flow electrolyte supply system. Parametric analysis and single objective optimisation has carried out based on Taguchi methodology. Multi-objective optimisation has also been made using quality loss function. Mathematical models are developed to establish the relationship between various significant process parameters and machining performance criteria during ECM. The ANOVA result shows that electrolyte flow rate, applied voltage, electrolyte concentration and initial inter-electrode gap (IIEG) are the major contributing parameters to affect machining criteria like material removal rate and surface roughness of ECM-ed titanium work sample.