Final Report Summary - MONCERAT (Broadening the application field of ceramic components by joint and interactive research on EDM machining technology, novel ceramic materials based on nanopowders ...) The project pertained to the broadening of the application field of ceramic components by joint and interactive research into new Electrical discharge machining (EDM) technology as well as into novel ceramic materials which are on nanopowders (MONCERAT). In other words, the aim of the MONCERAT project was to gain further insight into the development of new electro-conductive ceramic materials as well as into the development of new Electrical discharge machining (EDM) generators. Furthermore, the project aimed to demonstrate the influence of the microstructure of ceramic materials on the performance of EDM as well as to investigate the way the properties of EDM ceramic components could be integrated into the design phase of EDM. The production of new ceramic materials would partially rely on the use of high quality nanopowders, the latter synthesised by the Self- propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) method. The EDM is a manufacturing process whereby ceramic materials are machined provided that they have high electrical conductivity. It was anticipated that the project would have a large impact on the use of these materials in automotive industry, aerospace, machine tools, process engineering, health care, biomedical, micro-mechanics as well as in environmental applications. The project achieved in developing new ceramic composite materials, including nanocomposites such as tungsten carbide zirconium dioxide (ZnO2-WC) as well as the related EDM technology in order to machine excellent quality materials. It was demonstrated that the substitution of a classical component such as steel by a ceramic one would not result in successful EDM's performance and that an adapted design was required in order to profit in a larger degree. A shift from classical materials to ceramic ones was to be expected as the latter exhibit high wear and corrosion resistance, good high temperature performance as well as big strength to density ratio. Related documents Final Report - MONCERAT (Broadening the application field of ceramic components by joint and interactive research on EDM machining technology, novel ceramic materials based on nanopowders made by SHS and design methodology)
