Precise pulse electrochemical machining by bipolar current: Aspects of effective technological application

This paper describes a method of pulse electrochemical machining (ECM) by bipolar current. The phenomenology of the main aspects of its efficient technological application is considered: • Ensuring long-time stability of geometric and physical-and-chemical properties of the working surface of the electrode-tool (ET) through the removal of cathode sedimentations. • Creating workpiece surface layers of special physical-and-chemical properties (change of the chemical composition, corrosion resistance, etc.) due to the creation of the chrome-concentrated layer on the surface of the chrome steel workpiece. • Reducing the height and changing the shape of microroughness on the machined surface, giving it mirror like brightness. • Increasing machining precision due to greater non-equipotentiality of the machined surface. • Improving ecological cleanliness of the ECM technology due to the reduced content of toxic ions of the six-valent chrome in the electrolyte when manufacturing workpieces of chrome steels.