Solid dielectric electrochemical polishing of 3D-printed parts: Performance and mechanisms

Abstract

Surface post-processing of metal additive manufacturing components is challenging due to their typically complex geometries (e.g., curved surfaces) coupled with high initial surface roughness. Herein, we propose an efficient solid dielectric electrochemical polishing (SDECP) method employing ion exchange resin particles with a porous structure that absorbs and stores electrolytes as a conductive medium. This method enhances the surface quality of additively manufactured components with Bézier curved surfaces to a mirror finish, achieving improvements in Sa, Sq, and Sz of 91.5%, 91.7%, and 86.9%, respectively. Planetary motion strategies are implemented to optimize mass transfer on the anode surface in the discontinuous solid dielectric. Results indicate that bidirectional planetary motion (BPR) in SDECP effectively improves the uniformity of surface roughness and material removal across different regions of the part. Furthermore, we quantitatively describe the relationship between material removal rate (MRR) and average current in SDECP. The intermittent material removal mechanism of SDECP is elucidated utilizing discrete element method (DEM) simulations. Our work offers innovative insights into the material removal mechanisms of SDECP, presenting an efficient approach for overall surface post-processing of metal additive manufacturing components.