A method and apparatus for work hardening brittle insulating materials

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of processing of hard and brittle insulating materials, and particularly relates to a method and device for processing hard and brittle insulating materials. The method for processing hard and brittle insulating materials comprises: placing a workpiece made of hard and brittle insulating material, a tool electrode and an auxiliary electrode in a resin ion solution, applying a voltage between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit, and forming a resin insulating film on the surface of the tool electrode under the action of the electric field; increasing the voltage to make the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceed the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film to generate a breakdown discharge, and removing the hard and brittle insulating material of the workpiece. The present disclosure can make the workpiece obtain higher surface quality, processing efficiency and processing precision, and improve the comprehensive processing quality of the workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of processing technology for hard and brittle insulating materials, and specifically to a method and apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials. Background Technology

[0002] Hard and brittle insulating materials such as glass, quartz, and engineering ceramics possess excellent comprehensive properties, including superior mechanical, chemical, and physical properties such as ultra-hardness, wear resistance, high resistivity and melting point, and good thermal conductivity. They have broad application prospects in various fields such as automobiles, aircraft, steam turbines, engines, energy, mechanical electronics, aviation, aerospace, chemical engineering, and bioengineering. Although these hard and brittle insulating materials have excellent properties and significant application value, their high hardness, brittleness, and electrical insulation properties pose considerable challenges to processing.

[0003] Currently, the main processing methods for hard and brittle insulating materials include wire sawing, diamond wheel grinding, abrasive waterjet cutting, laser cutting, and electrolytic wire electrical discharge machining (EDM). Wire sawing suffers from significant bending deformation due to stress, resulting in poor two-dimensional cutting accuracy. Diamond wheel grinding, when machining microstructures, involves small wheels that are prone to deformation and even breakage. Both methods also result in high tool wear, particularly on the machined surface / subsurface, leading to defects such as microcracks and sectional damage—defects that are fatal under the harsh conditions of aerospace applications. Abrasive waterjet machining suffers from beveled surfaces, affecting processing accuracy. Laser cutting, limited by focusing issues, is only suitable for machining thin parts. Electrolytic wire electrical discharge machining suffers from poor discharge stability, low processing efficiency, and poor processing accuracy. Therefore, existing methods for processing hard and brittle insulating materials cannot meet the comprehensive processing requirements of these workpieces. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems in the related technologies, this disclosure provides a method and apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for processing hard and brittle insulating materials, the method comprising:

[0006] A workpiece, a tool electrode, and an auxiliary electrode made of hard and brittle insulating material are placed in a resin ion solution. A voltage is applied between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit. Under the action of the electric field, a resin insulating film is formed on the surface of the tool electrode.

[0007] The voltage is increased so that the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceeds the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film to generate a breakdown discharge, thereby removing the hard and brittle insulating material of the workpiece.

[0008] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the breakdown voltage is determined based on the thickness of the resin insulating film; the resin includes any one or more of the following: epoxy resin, acrylic resin, and polyester resin.

[0009] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes detecting the current in the conductive circuit before increasing the voltage to determine whether the insulation performance of the resin insulating film is qualified.

[0010] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0011] After the breakdown discharge process is completed, the voltage is reduced to repair the resin insulating film;

[0012] The process of cyclically increasing the voltage to generate a breakdown discharge and decreasing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film, in conjunction with the relative movement of the tool electrode and the workpiece, processes the workpiece.

[0013] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the step of applying a voltage between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit includes applying an 80-120V voltage between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit.

[0014] The step of increasing the voltage to make the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceed the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film includes increasing the voltage to 200-400V and holding it for 10-100μs.

[0015] The step of reducing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film includes reducing the voltage to 80-120V to repair the resin insulating film.

[0016] Secondly, this disclosure provides an apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials. The apparatus includes: a container for holding a resin ion solution; an adjustable power supply; a tool electrode and an auxiliary electrode respectively connected to the two poles of the adjustable power supply; wherein the workpiece, the tool electrode, and the auxiliary electrode are placed in the container containing the resin ion solution, the adjustable power supply applies a voltage to the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit, and a resin insulating film is formed on the surface of the tool electrode under the action of an electric field; when the voltage is increased so that the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceeds the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film, a breakdown discharge is generated to remove the hard and brittle insulating material from the workpiece.

[0017] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the device further includes a current detection module connected between the adjustable power supply and the tool electrode or auxiliary electrode, for detecting the current in the conductive circuit before increasing the voltage, so as to determine whether the insulation performance of the resin insulating film is qualified.

[0018] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the device further includes a control module connected to the adjustable power supply and the current detection module respectively, the control module being used to control the output parameters of the adjustable power supply based on the detection result of the current detection module.

[0019] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the output parameters include the magnitude of the voltage and the output time.

[0020] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, after the breakdown discharge process is completed, the control module controls the adjustable power supply to reduce the voltage to repair the resin insulating film, and cyclically increases the voltage to generate breakdown discharge and decreases the voltage to repair the resin insulating film.

[0021] According to the technical solution provided in this disclosure, by applying a voltage between a tool electrode and an auxiliary electrode placed in a resin ion solution, a resin insulating film with uniform thickness, stable morphology, and self-healing is formed on the surface of the tool electrode under the action of an electric field. By increasing the voltage to break down the resin insulating film and generate discharge, the hard and brittle insulating material is removed. The workpiece is processed by cyclically increasing the voltage to remove the material and decreasing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film. The resin insulating film formation process of this disclosure is not easily disturbed and has the advantages of uniform film morphology, consistent thickness, and self-healing. It overcomes the problems of high tool wear, low processing accuracy, and micro-damage to the workpiece surface in existing processing technologies, enabling the workpiece to obtain higher surface quality, processing efficiency, and processing accuracy, and achieving the technical effect of improving the overall processing quality of the workpiece.

[0022] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Other features, objects, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for processing a hard and brittle insulating material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 2 This diagram shows a structural block diagram of an apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3 This diagram shows a structural block diagram of another apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4 A structural block diagram of a control module electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system suitable for implementing the functions of a control module according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0029] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to readily implement them. Furthermore, for clarity, portions unrelated to the description of exemplary embodiments have been omitted from the drawings.

[0030] In this disclosure, it should be understood that terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the presence of features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, parts or combinations thereof disclosed in this specification, and are not intended to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0031] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this disclosure can be combined with each other. This disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0032] In this disclosure, any operation involving the acquisition of user information or user data, or the display of user information or user data to others, is an operation authorized or confirmed by the user, or actively selected by the user.

[0033] As mentioned earlier, the current processing methods for hard and brittle insulating materials mainly include wire sawing, diamond wheel grinding, abrasive waterjet cutting, laser cutting, and electrolytic electrical discharge wire cutting. The overall quality of these methods for processing hard and brittle insulating material workpieces is not high. Among these methods, electrolytic electrical discharge wire cutting allows for non-contact processing, preventing significant bending deformation of the electrode wire under stress. By controlling the discharge energy, it can achieve better processing accuracy, lower electrode wear, and higher surface quality. The necessary condition for spark discharge in electrolytic electrical discharge wire cutting is the formation of a relatively complete hydrogen film on the electrode wire surface through an electrolytic reaction, providing electrical insulation between the electrode wire and the electrolyte. When the voltage between the electrode wire and the electrolyte exceeds the hydrogen film breakdown voltage threshold, a hydrogen film breakdown discharge occurs. However, due to the combined effects of electrolyte buoyancy, wire movement disturbances, high discharge temperature, and impact, hydrogen film formation is difficult and easily damaged. The hydrogen film thickness exhibits strong randomness, leading to poor discharge stability, low processing efficiency, and poor processing accuracy.

[0034] To further improve the processing stability, efficiency, and accuracy of hard and brittle insulating materials, this disclosure provides a method for processing such materials. According to embodiments of this disclosure, firstly, the electric field between a tool electrode and an auxiliary electrode is used to form a self-healing resin insulating film on the surface of the tool electrode. Then, the voltage is increased to break down the resin insulating film, generating a discharge that removes the hard and brittle insulating material. This disclosure considers the uniformity of the tool electrode insulating film thickness, morphological stability, and self-healing capability, enabling the processing of various metal or non-metal workpieces and improving the overall processing quality. It is particularly suitable for processing various hard and brittle insulating materials such as glass, quartz, and engineering ceramics.

[0035] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for processing a hard and brittle insulating material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the method for processing hard and brittle insulating materials includes the following steps S101-S102:

[0036] In step S101, a workpiece, a tool electrode, and an auxiliary electrode made of hard and brittle insulating material are placed in a resin ion solution. A voltage is applied between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit. Under the action of an electric field, a resin insulating film is formed on the surface of the tool electrode.

[0037] In step S102, the voltage is increased so that the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceeds the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film to generate a breakdown discharge, thereby removing the hard and brittle insulating material of the workpiece.

[0038] According to embodiments of this disclosure, step S101, "placing the workpiece, tool electrode, and auxiliary electrode made of hard and brittle insulating material in a resin ion solution," can be achieved in the following manner:

[0039] Method 1: Immerse the tool electrode and auxiliary electrode in a container filled with resin ion solution, and connect the two poles of the power supply to the tool electrode and auxiliary electrode respectively, thereby forming a conductive circuit.

[0040] Method 2: Design the auxiliary electrode as a liquid-supply type. The liquid-supply auxiliary electrode has the functions of conducting electricity and providing resin ion solution to the tool electrode. In actual processing, the two poles of the power supply are connected to the tool electrode and the liquid-supply auxiliary electrode respectively. The liquid-supply auxiliary electrode continuously provides resin ion solution to the tool electrode, thereby forming a conductive circuit.

[0041] The resin ion solution can be obtained by mixing deionized water and resin in a certain proportion. The resin dissociates into positively or negatively charged ions in water. When a tool electrode and an auxiliary electrode placed in the resin ion solution are energized, an electric field is formed. Under the influence of this electric field, the positively or negatively charged resin ions move towards the electrode with the opposite charge polarity and deposit there, forming a resin film. As the energizing time increases, the thickness and area of ​​the resin film gradually increase, forming a complete resin insulating film on the electrode surface, insulating the electrode from the resin ion solution. The tool electrode can be connected to either the positive or negative terminal of the power supply. If the tool electrode is connected to the negative terminal, positively charged resin ions deposit on its surface to form an insulating film; if it is connected to the positive terminal, negatively charged resin ions deposit on its surface. The resin insulating film isolates the electrical connection between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution, thus creating a potential gradient across the resin insulating film. As resin ions gradually deposit on the surface of the tool electrode, the potential gradient inside and outside the resin insulating film gradually increases. When a complete resin insulating film layer is formed on the surface of the tool electrode, the tool electrode is completely insulated from the resin ion solution.

[0042] Compared to hydrogen films or other gas films, resin insulating films are formed by electrodeposition. Their film formation process is not affected by the buoyancy of the solution, the disturbance caused by electrode movement, or the combined effects of high discharge temperature and impact. They have advantages such as uniform film thickness, stable morphology, strong adhesion, and impact resistance. Therefore, the processing process is more stable, the tool electrode wear rate is also lower, and the processing quality and efficiency of the workpiece can be improved.

[0043] Specifically, the resin types in the resin ion solution include, but are not limited to, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, and polyester resin. The solution can be a single resin ion solution or a mixed solution of several resin ions.

[0044] The thickness of the resin insulating film is related to the voltage, duration of energization, and concentration of resin ions between the tool electrode and auxiliary electrode. Higher voltage, longer energization time, and higher resin ion concentration result in a thicker resin insulating film on the tool electrode surface. Therefore, the desired resin insulating film thickness can be obtained by appropriately adjusting these three parameters. In this embodiment, the voltage used is 80–120V.

[0045] Tool electrodes can be made of electrode wire or shaped electrodes. Different electrodes are selected based on the shape of the workpiece and the machining requirements. For example, electrode wires are suitable for cutting straight lines or through holes, tapered electrodes are suitable for machining angular parts, and spherical electrodes are suitable for machining curved parts or hole centers. The material of the tool electrode should be conductive, including but not limited to stainless steel, copper, molybdenum, carbon, and conductive glass. Metals that are not easily corroded by chemicals and have high melting points, such as stainless steel and tungsten carbide, are recommended.

[0046] The magnitude of the "breakdown voltage" in step S102 is determined based on the thickness of the resin insulating film formed in step S101. The voltage that causes the resin insulating film to break down can be a pulse voltage, a normal constant voltage, or a superposition of a pulse voltage and a constant voltage. The high temperature generated by the spark discharge during the breakdown of the resin insulating film will cause material ablation on the workpiece near the tool electrode, removing the workpiece material.

[0047] To facilitate increasing the voltage to break down the resin insulation film, an adjustable power supply is used. The discharge duration is controlled by adjusting the voltage output time of the power supply to process the workpiece. The voltage output mode can be continuous voltage output, intermittent voltage output, pulse voltage output, or a combination of the above voltage output modes.

[0048] Generally speaking, the power supply voltage has a significant impact on the processing results of the workpiece. As the voltage increases, the energy carried by the sparks generated by the discharge and the discharge frequency will also increase, the temperature of the processing zone will rise, and the workpiece material will be removed rapidly. That is, the processing rate increases with the increase of voltage. However, high temperature will have a significant thermal effect on the workpiece surface, resulting in a decrease in the processing accuracy of the workpiece. Therefore, finding a balance between processing efficiency and processing accuracy is a difficult point that restricts the improvement of the overall processing quality of the workpiece.

[0049] Compared to laser cutting, the processing method disclosed herein can achieve cutting of workpieces with larger thicknesses. Furthermore, due to the advantages of the resin insulating film, such as uniform film thickness, stable morphology, strong adhesion, and impact resistance, the breakdown voltage and thermal effects of breakdown discharge on the workpiece during processing are relatively stable, improving the surface quality and processing accuracy of the workpiece and resulting in higher overall quality. In addition, the stable resin insulation source reduces the wear rate of the tool electrode during processing, saving the time required for repeated tool electrode repairs, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the workpiece.

[0050] Furthermore, the discharge induction mechanism of the processing method disclosed herein is the potential gradient formed inside and outside the resin insulating film due to the potential difference between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode, which is independent of whether the workpiece material is conductive or not. Therefore, it can be used to process workpieces made of conductive or non-conductive materials, and is especially suitable for the removal of hard and brittle insulating materials.

[0051] Furthermore, to determine whether the insulation performance of the resin insulating film is up to standard before increasing the voltage, the current in the conductive circuit can be detected. The current detection method can be to connect a current detection device, such as a current meter or ammeter, in series in the conductive circuit. The connection point of the current detection device can be between the power supply and the tool electrode or between the power supply and the auxiliary electrode. When the detected current value reaches or falls below a certain threshold, it proves that the insulation performance of the resin insulating film meets the predetermined requirements. The threshold can be zero or a value close to zero.

[0052] Although the resin insulating film layer has good stability, the resin film layer at the discharge point can still be damaged. Therefore, in order to further improve the processing quality and processing stability, the workpiece can be processed by reducing the voltage after the breakdown discharge process to allow the resin insulating film to self-repair, and cyclically increasing the voltage to generate breakdown discharge and reducing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film.

[0053] After the power supply returns to a low voltage state, resin molecules will deposit at the damaged resin film layer on the tool electrode surface to automatically repair the resin film layer. The low voltage required to repair the resin insulating film can be the same as the initial voltage, or a different voltage value can be used depending on the processing requirements.

[0054] Specifically, the cyclical method of the "workpiece material removal - resin insulation film repair" process in step S102 includes, but is not limited to, the following two forms:

[0055] Cyclic Mode 1: Employing a "rapid repair of the resin insulating film" method, where the voltage is immediately reduced to the repair voltage after each discharge, allowing the resin insulating film to self-repair. In this mode, the voltage output time controlling the discharge duration can be kept to a relatively small value, such as 10-100 μs.

[0056] Cyclic Method Two: The method of "centralized repair of resin insulating film" is adopted, that is, the resin insulating film is repeatedly broken down and discharged by continuously outputting high voltage to remove material from the workpiece. After the multiple breakdown and discharge processes are completed, the voltage is reduced to the repair voltage to centrally repair the resin insulating film.

[0057] Compared to the two cyclic methods, the resin insulating film layer suffers less damage between the two breakdown discharges in cyclic method one, making it easier to self-repair. Therefore, the repair process is easier to control through voltage, and the repaired resin insulating film layer can achieve a thickness and shape more consistent with the original film layer, resulting in better repair quality and thus achieving higher-quality workpiece processing. Alternatively, a combination of the two cyclic methods can also be used.

[0058] In actual workpiece machining, a feed system can be used to cause relative movement between the workpiece and the tool electrode. The entire machining process is completed by combining the "workpiece material removal - resin insulation film repair" cycle with the relative movement between the workpiece and the tool electrode. This relative movement can be either a fixed workpiece with the feed system connected to the tool electrode causing it to move, or a fixed tool electrode with the feed system connected to the workpiece causing it to move.

[0059] This disclosure employs a non-contact machining method, eliminating cutting force during the process. This overcomes the problems of high tool wear and surface micro-damage associated with wire sawing and diamond wheel grinding, as well as electrode deformation and even breakage during the machining of microstructures. The machining method of this disclosure offers high cutting precision, overcoming the issue of the cut surface's angle affecting machining accuracy in abrasive waterjet machining. This method overcomes the limitation of laser cutting, which restricts focusing and restricts processing to small-thickness parts. This method can form a uniform, stable, and self-healing resin insulating film layer on the tool electrode surface, overcoming the problems of poor discharge stability and low processing efficiency caused by the instability of the hydrogen film in electrolytic discharge machining.

[0060] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, an apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials is provided. Figure 2 A structural block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. This apparatus can be implemented as part or all of an electronic device through software, hardware, or a combination of both.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, an apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials includes: a container 201 for holding a resin ion solution; an adjustable power supply 202; a tool electrode 203 and an auxiliary electrode 204 respectively connected to the two poles of the adjustable power supply 202; wherein, the workpiece, the tool electrode 203 and the auxiliary electrode 204 are placed in the container 201, the adjustable power supply 202 applies a voltage to the tool electrode 203 and the auxiliary electrode 204 to form a conductive circuit, and a resin insulating film is formed on the surface of the tool electrode 203 under the action of an electric field; when the voltage is increased so that the voltage between the tool electrode 203 and the resin ion solution exceeds the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film, a breakdown discharge is generated to remove the hard and brittle insulating material from the workpiece.

[0062] The tool electrode 203 can be connected to either the negative or positive terminal of the adjustable power supply 202. This embodiment uses the example of connecting the tool electrode 203 to the negative terminal of the adjustable power supply 202. The resin types in the resin ion solution include, but are not limited to, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, and polyester resin.

[0063] The following is a detailed description of the material removal process of the workpiece using this device. First, a certain voltage is output through the adjustable power supply 202, creating an electric field in the resin ion solution between the tool electrode 203 and the auxiliary electrode 204. Under the influence of this electric field, positively charged resin ions are deposited on the surface of the tool electrode 203, forming a resin insulating film. This resin insulating film isolates the electrical connection between the tool electrode 203 and the resin ion solution, creating a potential gradient across the inside and outside of the film. After the voltage is continuously applied for a period of time, a complete resin insulating film forms on the surface of the tool electrode 203. At this point, the output voltage of the adjustable power supply 202 is increased to the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film, causing a high potential gradient across the resin insulating film layer on the surface of the tool electrode 203, leading to breakdown discharge. The high temperature generated by the spark discharge ablates the workpiece near the tool electrode 203, thereby removing the workpiece material. The initial voltage for forming the resin insulating film and the breakdown voltage for discharging the resin insulating film are determined by the thickness of the resin insulating film. In this embodiment, the initial voltage is 80-120V and the breakdown voltage is 200-400V. The output time of the breakdown voltage is controlled to maintain the discharge duration of 10-100μs.

[0064] Before increasing the voltage of the adjustable power supply 202, to ensure that the insulation performance of the resin insulating film meets certain requirements, a current detection module 205 can be connected in the circuit. The current detection module 205 includes, but is not limited to, a current tester, multimeter, ammeter, etc., and its connection position can be between the adjustable power supply 202 and the tool electrode 203 or between the adjustable power supply 202 and the auxiliary electrode 204. When the detected current value reaches or falls below a certain threshold, it proves that the insulation performance of the resin insulating film meets the requirements. The threshold can be zero or a value close to zero. Material removal from the workpiece can be performed through a single discharge or through multiple cyclic discharges.

[0065] Furthermore, the resin insulating film can be repaired by adjusting the voltage of the adjustable power supply 202. After a breakdown discharge process is completed, the voltage of the adjustable power supply 202 is restored to a low voltage state so that the damaged resin insulating film on the surface of the tool electrode 203 can be redeposited and repaired, preparing for the next breakdown discharge process. Then, the process of increasing the voltage to generate a breakdown discharge and decreasing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film is repeated to process the workpiece.

[0066] The low voltage required to repair the resin insulating film can be the same as the initial voltage, or a different voltage value can be adopted according to the processing requirements.

[0067] To further improve the operability of the device, a control module can also be provided. The control module is electrically connected to the adjustable power supply 202 and the current detection module 205 respectively. The control module is used to collect the detection data of the current detection module 205 and control the output parameters of the adjustable power supply 202 according to the detection results. The output parameters of the adjustable power supply 202 include, but are not limited to, voltage magnitude, frequency, and output time.

[0068] Specifically, the control module has a built-in acquisition unit, a judgment unit, and an instruction unit. The judgment unit can preset a current threshold, which can be zero or close to zero. The acquisition unit acquires the current detection value from the current detection module 205 and transmits it to the judgment unit. When the current detection value reaches the preset current threshold, the judgment unit determines that the insulation performance of the resin insulating film is qualified; when the current detection value is higher than the preset current threshold, the insulation performance of the resin insulating film is determined to be unqualified. The judgment unit transmits the judgment result to the instruction unit, which issues a corresponding instruction to the adjustable power supply 202 based on the judgment result. If the judgment result is qualified, the instruction unit issues an instruction to increase the voltage to the breakdown voltage; if the judgment result is unqualified, the instruction unit issues an instruction to maintain the initial voltage output. The adjustable power supply 202 can provide voltage types including but not limited to pulse voltage, ordinary constant voltage, or a superposition of pulse voltage and constant voltage. Depending on the voltage type provided by the adjustable power supply 202 and the actual processing requirements, the control module can set different instructions to control the voltage output of the adjustable power supply 202.

[0069] In addition, the control module can also be used to control the adjustable power supply 202 to reduce the voltage to repair the resin insulating film after the breakdown discharge process is completed, and to cycle through the process of increasing the power supply to generate breakdown discharge and reducing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film. The process control mode of "workpiece material removal - resin insulating film repair" can adopt the "rapid repair of resin insulating film" method, that is, immediately reducing the voltage to the repair voltage after one discharge to allow the resin insulating film to self-repair, or adopt the "centralized repair of resin insulating film" method, that is, using voltage to perform multiple breakdown discharges on the resin insulating film to remove material from the workpiece, and after the multiple breakdown discharges are completed, reducing the voltage to the repair voltage to allow the resin insulating film to be centrally repaired.

[0070] The discharge induction mechanism of this device is the potential gradient formed inside and outside the resin insulating film due to the potential difference between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode. It is independent of whether the workpiece material is conductive or not. Therefore, it can be used to process workpieces made of conductive or non-conductive materials. It is especially suitable for removing hard and brittle insulating materials. Since the formation mechanism of the resin insulating film is electrodeposition, the thickness and morphology of the film are not affected by the buoyancy of the solution, the disturbance caused by the movement of the electrode, and the combined effects of high temperature and impact of the discharge. It is highly controllable. Therefore, using this device to remove workpiece material can improve the surface quality, processing efficiency and processing accuracy of the workpiece, and enable the workpiece to obtain a higher overall quality.

[0071] As another implementation, this disclosure also provides an apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials. Figure 3 A structural block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0072] like Figure 3 As shown, an apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials includes: an adjustable power supply 301; a tool electrode 302 and an auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 respectively connected to the two poles of the adjustable power supply 301; the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 serves as both an electrode and continuously supplies resin ion solution to the tool electrode 302; the adjustable power supply 301 applies a voltage to the tool electrode 302 and the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303, thereby forming a conductive circuit, and a resin insulating film is formed on the surface of the tool electrode 302 under the action of an electric field; when the voltage of the adjustable power supply 301 is increased so that the voltage between the tool electrode 302 and the resin ion solution exceeds the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film, a breakdown discharge is generated to remove material from the workpiece made of hard and brittle insulating material.

[0073] In this embodiment, the tool electrode 302 can be connected to either the positive or negative terminal of the adjustable power supply 301. In this example, the tool electrode 302 is connected to the negative terminal of the adjustable power supply 301, and the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 is connected to the positive terminal of the adjustable power supply 301. The process of removing material from the workpiece using this device is as follows: First, the adjustable power supply 301 outputs a certain voltage. Simultaneously, the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 applies a resin ion solution to the tool electrode 302 and continues until the processing is complete. An electric field is formed in the resin ion solution between the tool electrode 302 and the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303. When the resin ions carry a positive charge, under the action of the electric field, the resin ions move to the surface of the tool electrode located at the negative terminal and gradually deposit to form a resin insulating film. The resin insulating film isolates the electrical connection between the tool electrode 302 and the resin ion solution, creating a potential gradient between the inside and outside of the resin insulating film. After a period of continuous voltage application, a complete resin insulating film forms on the surface of the tool electrode 302. At this point, the output voltage of the adjustable power supply 301 is increased to the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film, creating a high potential gradient between the inside and outside of the resin insulating film on the tool electrode 302 surface. This leads to breakdown discharge, and the high temperature generated by the spark discharge causes material ablation on the workpiece near the tool electrode 302, resulting in material removal. After processing, the adjustable power supply 301 is turned off, and the liquid supply output of the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 is cut off.

[0074] The auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 has a hollow structure to accommodate the resin ion solution. The auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 can have its own power supply unit to continuously supply the resin ion solution to the tool electrode 302, or it can be connected to the liquid supply system via pipelines. The liquid supply system includes a liquid tank for storing the resin ion solution and a power pump for drawing the resin ion solution. The inlet and outlet of the power pump are connected to the liquid tank and the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 respectively via pipelines. During actual processing, the power pump can extract the resin ion solution from the liquid tank and continuously supply it to the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303, which then supplies it to the tool electrode 302 and the workpiece nearby. The power pump can be a centrifugal pump, gear pump, vane pump, or other types of hydraulic pump. The liquid supply system can also be equipped with a flow regulating device between the power pump and the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 to adjust the supply flow rate of the resin ion solution according to actual processing needs. Flow regulating devices can use various types of flow regulating valves, such as ball valves, needle valves, plug valves, gate valves, and solenoid valves.

[0075] In addition, the auxiliary electrode liquid supply device 303 can be designed as a hollow nozzle structure. The nozzle structure can more evenly apply the resin ion solution to the tool electrode 302 and the workpiece surface, so that the heat effect generated by the high temperature of the discharge can be better conducted in the resin ion solution, further improving the processing quality of the workpiece.

[0076] Similarly, a current detection module 304 and a control module can also be provided in this device. This part is similar to the relevant content of the aforementioned embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0077] The control module in the embodiments of the apparatus disclosed herein may be in the form of software, hardware, or a combination of both, and may also be a mini-program, computer system, etc.

[0078] This disclosure also discloses an electronic device. Figure 4 A structural block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0079] like Figure 4 As shown, the electronic device includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer instructions, wherein the one or more computer instructions are executed by the processor to implement the functions of the control module according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0080] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system suitable for implementing the control module of the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0081] like Figure 5 As shown, the computer system includes a processing unit that can execute various methods described above based on a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) or a program loaded from a storage portion into a random access memory (RAM). The RAM also stores various programs and data required for the operation of the computer system. The processing unit, ROM, and RAM are interconnected via a bus. Input / output (I / O) interfaces are also connected to the bus.

[0082] The following components are connected to the I / O interface: input sections including keyboards, mice, etc.; output sections including cathode ray tubes (CRTs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and speakers; storage sections including hard disks, etc.; and communication sections including network interface cards such as LAN cards and modems. The communication section performs communication processes via a network such as the Internet. Drives are also connected to the I / O interface as needed. Removable media, such as disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, etc., are installed on the drive as needed so that computer programs read from them can be installed into the storage section as needed. The processing unit can be implemented as a CPU, GPU, TPU, FPGA, NPU, etc.

[0083] In particular, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the control functions of the control module described above can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, embodiments of this disclosure include a computer program product comprising a computer program tangibly embodied on a machine-readable medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the aforementioned control function methods. In such embodiments, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via a communication component, and / or installed from a removable medium.

[0084] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0085] The units or modules described in the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in software or programmable hardware. The described units or modules can also be located in a processor, and the names of these units or modules do not necessarily constitute a limitation on the unit or module itself.

[0086] In another aspect, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a computer-readable storage medium included in the electronic device or computer system described above; or it may be a standalone computer-readable storage medium not assembled into a device. The computer-readable storage medium stores one or more programs, which are used by one or more processors to perform the methods described in this disclosure.

[0087] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and an explanation of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in this disclosure is not limited to technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above-described technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by arbitrary combinations of the above-described technical features or their equivalents without departing from the inventive concept. For example, technical solutions formed by substituting the above-described features with (but not limited to) technical features disclosed in this disclosure that have similar functions.

Claims

1. A method for processing hard and brittle insulating materials, characterized in that, The method includes: A workpiece, a tool electrode, and an auxiliary electrode made of hard and brittle insulating material are placed in a resin ion solution. A voltage is applied between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit. Under the action of the electric field, a resin insulating film is formed on the surface of the tool electrode. The voltage is increased so that the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceeds the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film to generate a breakdown discharge, thereby removing the hard and brittle insulating material of the workpiece.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The breakdown voltage is determined based on the thickness of the resin insulating film; The resin includes any one or more of the following: epoxy resin, acrylic resin, and polyester resin.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes detecting the current in the conductive circuit before increasing the voltage to determine whether the insulation performance of the resin insulating film is qualified.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the breakdown discharge process is completed, the voltage is reduced to repair the resin insulating film; The process of cyclically increasing the voltage to generate a breakdown discharge and decreasing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film, in conjunction with the relative movement of the tool electrode and the workpiece, processes the workpiece.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method of applying a voltage between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit includes applying an 80-120V voltage between the tool electrode and the auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit; The step of increasing the voltage to make the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceed the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film includes increasing the voltage to 200-400V and holding it for 10-100μs. The step of reducing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film includes reducing the voltage to 80-120V to repair the resin insulating film.

6. An apparatus for processing hard and brittle insulating materials, characterized in that, The device includes: Containers used for holding resin ionic solutions; Adjustable power supply; The tool electrode and auxiliary electrode are respectively connected to the two poles of the adjustable power supply; The workpiece, tool electrode, and auxiliary electrode are placed in a container containing a resin ion solution. The adjustable power supply applies voltage to the tool electrode and auxiliary electrode to form a conductive circuit. Under the action of the electric field, a resin insulating film is formed on the surface of the tool electrode. When the voltage is increased so that the voltage between the tool electrode and the resin ion solution exceeds the breakdown voltage of the resin insulating film, a breakdown discharge is generated to remove the hard and brittle insulating material of the workpiece.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The device further includes a current detection module connected between the adjustable power supply and the tool electrode or auxiliary electrode, used to detect the current in the conductive circuit before increasing the voltage, so as to determine whether the insulation performance of the resin insulating film is qualified.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The device further includes a control module connected to the adjustable power supply and the current detection module respectively. The control module is used to control the output parameters of the adjustable power supply according to the detection result of the current detection module.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The output parameters include the voltage magnitude and the output time.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, After the breakdown discharge process is completed, the control module controls the adjustable power supply to reduce the voltage to repair the resin insulating film, and cycles through the process of increasing the voltage to generate breakdown discharge and decreasing the voltage to repair the resin insulating film.

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