Evaluating the Impact of Pulse Dynamics on Titanium Alloy Machining Precision in Micro‐EDM

Microelectric discharge machining (micro‐EDM) produces titanium microfeatures used in aerospace hardware and biomedical implants. Control of the discharge waveform is significant because the temporal distribution of pulse energy governs thermal loading, recast formation and electrode wear. Direct, statistically validated comparisons of pulse shape effects across multiple engineering titanium alloys under identical micro‐EDM conditions remain limited. This study quantifies pulse shape–dependent performance and identifies process windows for three titanium alloys. Micro‐EDM trials were conducted on Ti‐6Al‐4V, Ti‐6Al‐2Sn‐4Zr‐6Mo and Ti‐3Al‐2.5V using rectangular, triangular, sawtooth and reverse‐sawtooth pulses at ∼80 V with 5–25 A peak current and 20–100 µs pulse‐on time. A central composite design was applied, and quadratic response surface models were validated by the ANOVA and desirability optimization for material removal rate (MRR), overcut (OC), tool wear rate (TWR), surface roughness (Ra) and recast layer thickness. Rectangular pulses yielded the highest removal intensity; at 200 mJ, the MRR was 2.5 mm 3 /min for Ti‐6Al‐4V, and the OC was 0.018 mm. Reverse‐sawtooth pulses suppress thermal damage; the TWR was reduced by 43%–47%, Ra was limited to 1.9–2.2 μm, and the recast layer thickness was reduced from 11.2 to 4.3 μm. The response surfaces support predictive window selection; R 2 values exceeded 0.99, and predicted R 2 values exceeded 0.97. These quantified waveform effects guide sequencing of roughing and finishing steps that preserve accuracy, tool life and surface integrity across titanium grades. Future research focuses on adaptive pulse control, alternative dielectric fluids and complex three‐dimensional features to extend the validated operating domain.