Analysis of influence of process parameters in ultrasonic assisted jet electrochemical manufacturing

Controlling the size of crystalline structures has always been a challenging task for researchers. Fabricating such nano- and micro-crystalline parts increases the complexity of the process. To resolve this complexity, an electrochemical manufacturing process, namely Ultrasonic assisted jet electrodeposition (UAJE), was developed, and a parametric analysis was conducted. Under optimized conditions, a feature with a length of 750 +/- 30 mu m and a thickness of 0.15 +/- 0.025 mu m was successfully fabricated. A micro part with a maximum height of 1300 mu m without any defects was achieved. The process parameters applied included pulse DC voltage, ultrasonic source activation time, electrode gap, and electrolyte concentration. The electrodeposited material was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images. The two prominent challenges observed in the UAJE process were edge defects and deposition height. The presented work studied and proposed controlled process criteria to resolve these two challenges. Edge defects were minimized at a concentration of 18gm/litre of CuSO4.5H2O, 0.4 s ultrasonic activation time, and a 2-2.5 mm gap. The electrode gap had the highest contributing factor for the width of the fabricated part, followed by ultrasonic activation time. Increasing the ultrasonic activation time from 0.4 to 0.6 s significantly affected the wall thickness of the deposited parameter with an increase in electrode gap.