A drilling tool for use in machining a conductive work piece is provided. The tool includes a body portion, a forward electrode coupled to the body portion, and at least one side electrode coupled to the body portion. When electric current is supplied to the forward electrode and the at least one side electrode, material adjacent to the forward electrode and the at least one side electrode is removed from the conductive work piece. Further, the forward electrode and the at least one side electrode are selectively operable to form a bore hole having a variable geometry that extends through the conductive work piece when the material is removed therefrom.

A drilling tool for use in machining a conductive work piece is provided. The tool includes a forward electrode tip that includes an outer radial portion and an inner radial portion that extends from a forward face of the outer radial portion. The tool also includes a dielectric sheath that extends circumferentially about the outer radial portion, and at least one side electrode coupled to the dielectric sheath. When electric current is supplied to the forward electrode tip and the at least one side electrode, material adjacent to the forward electrode tip and the at least one side electrode is removed from the conductive work piece. The forward electrode tip and the at least one side electrode are selectively operable to form a bore hole having a variable geometry that extends through the conductive work piece when the material is removed therefrom.

An electrochemical machining system for machining a conductive work piece is provided. The system includes a drilling tool configured to remove material from the conductive work piece. The drilling tool is configured to advance within the conductive work piece along a tool path to form a bore hole having a variable geometry that extends through the conductive work piece when the material is removed therefrom. The system further includes an inspection device configured to determine a position of the drilling tool along the tool path, and a controller configured to communicate with the inspection device. The controller is further configured to compare the tool path to a nominal tool path, and determine a position error of said drilling tool, the position error defined by a difference between the tool path and the nominal tool path.

Methods and systems of electrochemically machining a component are provided. The method may include applying two or more potentials to a tool electrode comprising an array of two or more individual electrodes to generate two or more electric fields in between the tool electrode and a workpiece opposite of the tool electrode, wherein each of the two or more electric fields is generated by one of the array of two or more individual electrodes.