Page 50 - EDM Today Winter 2025

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Feature Article

UNDERSTANDING

ELECTROCHEMICAL MACHINING

By Marco Boccadoro
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Marco Boccadoro

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Marco Boccadoro has devoted
his entire professional career
Photo Courtesy of Extrude Hone
to EDM and was honored as
an EDM Today EDM Pioneer. INTRODUCTION 2-Station ECM Work Cell
Electrochemical machining (ECM) shares many similarities with EDM die sink-
EDM Today Magazine
EDM Today Magazine Faraday, a self-taught scientist, made groundbreaking contributions to our
EDM Today Magazine
(Spring, 2013 available
ing, but its underlying principle was discovered much earlier. This discovery is
under the Archives tab at
credited to Michael Faraday, one of history’s most remarkable scientifi c minds.
edmtodaymagazine.com)
Mr. Boccadoro has authored
or co-authored 21 patents
understanding of electricity and magnetism, laying the foundation for much
covering EDM machines, power
of modern technology. In 1831, he formulated the fundamental laws of
supplies, and control systems.
electrolysis. Among his numerous inventions are the Faraday cage, induction,
Recently retired from his
benzene, and the Bunsen burner. Despite his
position as GF Machining
humble beginnings and an infancy in poverty,
Solutions’ Head of Research the dynamo, the transformer, the fi rst electric motor, the discovery of
and Innovation, his responsibili-
he could have grown rich by patenting his
EDM Today Magazine
EDM Today Magazine Faraday chose not to patent them, believing EDM Today Magazine
ties included managing
inventions.
research projects with a
network of universities world-
wide and carrying out internal
that scientifi c knowledge should be freely
research and feasibility
shared for the benefi t of humanity.
projects. His favorite defi nition
of innovation is:
Similar to EDM, the technological method of
ECM originated from Russia, with electrolytic
“Innovation is creativity
polishing. Chemist E. Shpitalsky initiated
this process, which was later refi ned in 1928
with a job to do.”
by Russian engineers V. N. Gusev and L. Michael Faraday
Rozhkov, who introduced high-pressure
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electrolyte fl ushing in the gap.
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