ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Electrochemical machining

Electrochemical machining is kinda like magic. You know how when you rub a balloon on your hair, it creates electricity that makes your hair stand up? That's because rubbing the balloon creates negative and positive charges which are attracted to each other, making the hair stand up. Well electrochemical machining uses this same principle to make metal things.

First, you need a metal object that you want to shape. Then you make a special solution called an electrolyte, which is like a magic potion. When you put this potion on the metal object and put a special tool called an electrode into the potion, it creates a reaction that eats away part of the metal, just like how rubbing the balloon causes your hair to stand up.

The coolest thing is that you can make the metal object into any shape you want by controlling where you put the electrode. So, just like how you can draw on paper and make any picture you want, you can draw with the electrode and make any shape you want on the metal. It's like drawing, but with magic and metal!
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