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The pursuit of precision machining in engineering materials has ignited an imperative to advance electrical discharge machining (EDM) techniques. This study is a deep dive into the domain of micro-electrical discharge machining ($\mu$EDM) with a specific focus on the utilization of carbon-coated tool electrodes. The primary objective is to elucidate the influence of carbon-coated electrodes on vital machining parameters, including machining depth (Z coordinate), tool wear rate (TWR) and overcut (OC) in $\mu$EDM operations. Moreover, the investigation extends to scrutinizing surface characteristics generated by $\mu$EDM with carbon-coated tool electrodes. To enhance performance, carbon-coated tungsten carbide tool electrodes are employed for machining titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) workpieces. The optimization process seeks to identify the optimal combination of process parameters using a Taguchi-DEAR-based multi-response approach. Experimental findings reveal that integrating carbon-coated electrodes significantly improves the $\mu$EDM process, leading to enhanced surface performance metrics. Notably, this study identifies specific parameter settings that effectively optimize machining quality indicators. By achieving a voltage of 160V, a capacitance of 10,000pF and a tool rotation of 600RPM, the research contributes valuable insights into the intricate realm of $\mu$EDM, highlighting the potential for enhanced surface performance through strategic parameter manipulation.

Depth of machining and dimensional accuracy are important parameters in assessing the quality of microelectrical discharge machining (EDM); therefore, enhancement of these two entities is highly essential. The optimal process parameters in microEDM are significantly influenced by the electrode material, which directly affects the machining quality. In this study, depth of machining ($Z$ co-ordinate) and overcut (OVC) in microEDM with carbon-coated electrode were selected; and capacitance ($C$), voltage ($V$), and rotary tool (RT) were the process parameters. The experimental work was performed on a titanium alloy (Ti-6 Al-4 V) with a thin film-coated microtool electrode. The surface of the tungsten carbide microtool electrode was coated with carbon and the thickness of the coating was approximately five microns. The results show that the Taguchi–multi-objective optimization based on ratioanalysis (MOORA) — analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is the best combination for performing a simple and concise calculation in the machining process; and $U=140$ V results in higher machining efficiency with $C=10000$ pF and $\mathrm{\text{RT}}=200$ rpm. Our results show that the quality of the machined surface and machining accuracy in microEDM using coated electrode at optimal parameters are good.