With the increase of working frequency, the feature size of a corrugated horn will be greatly reduced, causing challenges for fabrication. This paper investigated wire electrochemical micromachining (WECMM) of aluminum rings for assembly of a mandrel for electroforming, which has been a primary method for producing corrugated horns. By utilizing a rotary helical electrode and green additives, the removal efficiency of electrolytic products in WECMM was improved. It was found that the machined slits had good unilateral consistency on the left side of the electrode feeding direction when the electrode rotated clockwise. Complexing agent glutamic diacetic acid (GLDA) can compete with OH- for Al3+ and has an obvious effect in reducing insoluble electrolytic products. From experimental investigations on typical parameters, an optimal parameter combination considering slit homogeneity and machining efficiency was obtained. In an electrolyte solution containing 15 g/L sodium nitrate solution and 15 g/L GLDA, 100 μm-thick aluminum rings with good edge and surface qualities were fabricated at a rate of 1.2 μm/s using a helical electrode with a diameter of 0.3 mm. Finally, these aluminum rings were successfully applied to make an internal corrugated sample with a rib width of 100 μm and a groove depth of 500 μm.
Keywords: aluminum; corrugated horn; electrochemical micromachining; electroforming; helical electrode.