Manufacturing of a micro-tungsten carbide electrode using a supersonic-aided electrolysis process

In this study, a novel micromachining technology for fabricating micro parts was described. The original diameter of a tungsten carbide rod was 3 mm, and it was first processed to a rod with a diameter of 50 µm by a precision-grinding process. It could then be machined to the desired diameter by a supersonic-aided electrolysis process. A high-aspect ratio of the micro-tungsten carbide rod was easily obtained by this process. The surface roughness of the sample that was processed by electrolysis with supersonic-aided agitation was compared with that of the sample obtained without agitation. The machined surface of the sample was smooth, and the reason may be that ionized particles in the anode could be removed by supersonic-aided agitation during the electrolysis process. A microelectrode with a tip of approximately 1 µm could be obtained by this process.