Application of Taguchi - PSI combined to multi-response optimization of process parameters in die- sinking electrical discharge machining for SKD11 steel

Abstract

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a widely used method in the industry of
molds and tools. The multi-objective optimization of technology parameters and
the selection of weight for each quality indicator in the EDM is a very complex
issue. It has been attracting great interest from technical specialists in this field.
This paper presents multi-objective optimization in EDM using Taguchi - PSI
(Preference selection index). Parameters of current (I), voltage (V), pulse on time
(Ton) and pulse off time (Tof) are used for the survey. The quality indicators such as
material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (Ra) were chosen as optimal
indicators. The orthogonal Matrix L25 in the Taguchi method was used for actual
design, and PSI techniques were used to solve multi-objective optimization
problems. The results indicated that, the optimal parameters of the multi-objective
of EDM for SKD11 steel are U = 70V, Ton = 50μs, I = 5A, Tof = 18μs. And the
combination of PSI-Taguchi greatly reduced the time and cost of experimentation.