ABSTRACT
Spark erosion machining (SEM) is a non-conventional machining process which can be used to machine electrically conducting materials, regardless of their mechanical properties, particularly hardness, through a series of sparks generated between the tool electrode and the workpiece, in the presence of a suitably chosen dielectric. This chapter presents a review of different optimization approaches used for different SE-based processes. Optimization of SE-based process parameters is of great importance, particularly in applications where economy and quality of a machined part is most significant. Appropriate selection of tools, parameters and environmental conditions for a specific feature requires a systematic approach. Different optimization methods used in the published work on optimization of SE-based processes can be classified into the following three categories: design of experiments approach, data dependent techniques, and meta-heuristics based evolutionary optimization methods. Machining of engineering products and components will always be one of the most important industrial activities.
