This work describes an experimental investigation with the aim to evaluate and establish wire spark erosion machining (WSEM) as a viable alternative for high quality miniature gear manufacturing. External spur type miniature brass (ASTM 858) gears with 12 teeth, 9.8 mm outside diameter and 5 mm face width were manufactured by WSEM. The research work was accomplished in four distinct experimental stages viz., preliminary, pilot, main and confirmation. The aim, scope and findings of each stage are progressively presented and discussed. In essence, the investigation found that it was possible to manufacture miniature gears to high quality by using WSEM. Gears up to DIN 5 quality with a good surface finish (1.2 µm average roughness) and satisfactory surface integrity were achieved. The results suggest that WSEM should be considered a viable alternative to conventional miniature gear manufacturing techniques and that in some instances it may even be superior. This work will prove useful to researchers and professionals in the field of miniature and micro-scale manufacturing and machining.

Kapil Gupta is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Science at University of Johannesburg. He received his PhD in mechanical engineering with specialization in Manufacturing Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Indore, India in 2014. Advanced machining processes, sustainable manufacturing, precision engineering and gear technology are his areas of interests. Dr Gupta has published five SCI Journal articles and delivered presentations at some prestigious international conferences. He also possesses five years of professional experience in the academic and research environment. He is an active member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a reviewer for some international journals of repute. Neelesh Kumar Jain is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Dean Academic Affairs at Indian Institute of Technology Indore, India. He obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India in 2003. His areas of research interest include advanced and hybrid machining processes, and gear technology. Dr Jain has successfully supervised several PhD scholars and graduate and undergraduate theses. Over one hundred journal and conference articles have been published under his authorship. He is also the head of Centre of Excellence (an international research lab) in Gear Engineering at IIT Indore. He is handling consultancy and project work in association with several corporations and also with the Government of India. He is also engaged in writing book chapters and books for some reputed international publishers.