Electro-discharge drilling is a key technology for manufacturing sophisticated nozzles in a broad range of automotive and aerospace applications. The formation of debris in the working gap leads to arcs and short circuits on the lateral surface when state-of-the-art tool electrodes are used. As a result, limited drilling depth, increased linear tool wear, and the conicity of boreholes are still challenges. In this work, a new approach for the passivation of the lateral surface of copper tool electrodes by oxidation is shown. The comparison with state-of-the-art tool electrodes showed a reduction in the erosion duration by 48% for machining hardened steel. Promising improvements could be achieved by the thermal oxidation of the tool electrodes with the aim of increasing the electrical resistivity of the lateral surface of the tool electrode. However, due to the loss of strength, the high oxide layer thickness, and the partial delamination of the oxide layer, further comprehensive investigations on the influence of the oxidation temperature need to be conducted. Future adjustments with lower oxidation temperatures will be carried out.

The electro-discharge (ED) drilling of precision boreholes in difficult-to-machine materials, particularly with respect to the cost-effectiveness of the overall process, is still a challenge. Flushing is one key factor for the precise machining of boreholes, especially with high aspect ratios. Therefore, the influence of internal and external flushing geometries for six types of brass tool electrodes with a diameter of 3 mm with and without a helical groove was analyzed experimentally and numerically. Using this helical external flushing channel, drilling experiments in X170CrVMo18-3-1 (Elmax Superclean) with an aspect ratio of five revealed a material removal rate (MRR) that was increased by 112% compared with a rod electrode, increased by 28% for a single-channel tool electrode and decreased by 8% for a multi-channel tool electrode. Signal analyses complemented these findings and highlighted correlations between classified discharge event types and the experimental target parameters. Amongst others, it was verified that the arcing frequency ratio drove the electrode wear rate and the beneficial frequency ratio correlated with the MRR and the surface roughness Ra. Sophisticated 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the liquid phase were introduced and evaluated in great detail to demonstrate the validity and further elucidate the effect of the external flushing channel on the evacuation capability of debris and gas bubbles. The presented methods and models were found to be suitable for obtaining in-depth knowledge about the flushing conditions in the ED drilling working gap.