Recent advancements in manufacturing industries have expanded the applications of composite tools for achieving superior machining performance. In this work, copper-silicon carbide composite tools of different compositions are fabricated using microwave sintering process and employed as tools during electro-discharge machining (EDM) of 304 stainless steel workpiece material. The performance of the composite tools is evaluated based on machining parameters such as material removal rate, tool wear rate, surface roughness of the machined surfaces and surface crack density of the machined surfaces. Surface irregularities are analysed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images of the machined surfaces, while energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) is used to examine changes in the surface composition of the workpiece after machining.
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