APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HYBRID MACHINING A CONTOURED, THIN-WALLED WORKPIECE

摘要

An apparatus and methpd for hybrid machining a workpiece is disclosed. The workpiece (50) is powered as an anode, a cutter (14) is powered as a cathode and a cutting fluid or coolant is circulated therebetween. The cutter is made of a conductive material and a non-conductive abrasive material. The hybrid machine (10) performs a roughing pass machining operation in.which material is removed from the workpiece at a relatively high rate using a high-speed electro-erosion (HSEE) process. Then, the hybrid machine performs a finish pass machining operation in which material is removed from the workpiece using precision electro-grinding (PEG) process at a different differential electrical potential and/or flushing rate than the roughing pass machining operation to provide a smooth finish without thermal effects on the workpiece.