TABLE OF CONTENTS In electrochemical mass finishing, workpieces are placed in an electrically insulated drum filled with electrolyte and media, which may be graphite spheres (Shimizu 1975). British patents filed in 1968 indicate that phosphoric acid is used as the electrolyte and that either silicon carbide or copper-coated aluminum oxide can also be used as the deburring media (U.K. patents 1968a,b). Electrodes connected to an external power source are also placed in the drum. When the drum is vibrated or rotated, the media acts as an extension of the electrodes to remove the burrs electrolytically. The action is similar to conventional electrochemical deburring (Gillespie 1999). The media also abrades the passivating surface oxides formed on the workpieces, thus exposing fresh surfaces to the electrolytic action.
The major advantage of this process is fast cycling, but the equipment required is comparatively expensive. The process is limited to work-piece materials that conduct electricity.
While the principles of electrochemical mass finishing are simple, the details of how to effectively implement action in vibrating and rotating media are more challenging.
When an electric potential is applied between a metal conductor and a cathodic electrode in an electrolyte, material is dissolved from the anodic conductor into the electrolyte. The amount of material dissolved is, in accordance with Faraday's law, proportional to the quantity of electricity delivered between the electrodes. This process is known as electrochemical barrel finishing (ECB).
When metal conductors of workpieces are placed between the electrodes, as...
