ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINE

EDM TECHNOLOGIES

EDM Technologies is an Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) job shop

offering Wire EDM, Sinker EDM, Small Hole EDM, and CNC Machining Services.
EDM Technologies is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company.

ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING (EDM)

Electrical Discharge Machining, EDM is one of the most accurate

manufacturing processes available for creating complex or simple shapes and
geometries within parts and assemblies.

Electric discharge machining (EDM), sometimes colloquially also referred to

as spark machining, spark eroding, burning, die sinking or wire erosion, is a
manufacturing process whereby a desired shape is obtained using electrical
discharges (sparks). EDM works by eroding material in the path of electrical
discharges that form an arc between an electrode tool and the work piece. 
Material is removed from the work piece by a series of rapidly recurring current
discharges between two electrodes, separated by a dielectric liquid and subject to
an electric voltage. One of the electrodes is called the tool-electrode, or simply
the ‘tool’ or ‘electrode’, while the other is called the work piece-electrode, or
‘work piece’.

When the distance between the two electrodes is reduced, the intensity
of the electric field in the volume between the electrodes becomes greater than
the strength of the dielectric, which breaks, allowing current to flow between the
two electrodes. This phenomenon is the same as the breakdown of a capacitor
(condenser) (see also breakdown voltage).

As a result, material is removed from both the electrodes. Once the current
flow stops (or it is stopped - depending on the type of generator), new liquid
dielectric is usually conveyed into the inter-electrode volume enabling the solid
particles (debris) to be carried away and the insulating proprieties of the dielectric
to be restored.
 Adding new liquid dielectric in the inter-electrode volume is commonly
referred to as flushing. Also, after a current flow, a difference of potential
between the two electrodes is restored to what it was before the breakdown, so
that a new liquid dielectric breakdown can occur.

EDM manufacturing is quite affordable and a very desirable manufacturing

process when low counts or high accuracy is required.  Turnaround time can be
fast and depends on manufacturer back log.

The EDM system consists of a shaped tool or wire electrode, and the part.
The part is connected to a power supply. Sometimes to create a potential
difference between the work piece and tool, the work piece is immersed in a
dielectric (electrically nonconducting) fluid which is circulated to flush away
debris.

The cutting pattern is usually CNC

controlled.  Many EDM machine
electrodes can rotate about two-three
axis allowing for cutting of internal
cavities. This makes EDM a highly capable
manufacturing process.

EDM comes in two basic types: wire and

probe (die sinker). Wire EDM is used
primarily for shapes cut shapes through a
selected part or assembly. With a wire
EDM machine, if a cutout needs to be
created, an initial hole must first be drilled
in the material, and then the wire can be
fed through the hole to complete the
machining. Sinker (diesinking) EDMs are
generally used for complex geometries
where the EDM machine uses a machined
graphite or copper electrode to erode the desired shape into the part or
assembly. Sinker EDM can cut a hole into the part without having a hole pre-
drilled for the electrode.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

 Relax the surface-finish for the part, if feasible. This allows the
manufacturer to produce the part with fewer passes, at a higher current
level and a higher metal-removal rate.
 Design or prepare the part such that the amount of stock removed by EDM
is relatively small. Use traditional machining techniques to remove the bulk
of the stock with the finishing operations performed by EDM. This
significantly reduces the amount of time and cost for each part.
 The EDM manufacturer should consider fixtures such that several parts can
be stacked and machined simultaneously or a single part can have several
EDM operations performed simultaneously.
 When existing holes are to be enlarged or reshaped by EDM, through holes
are preferred to blind holes as they permit easier flow of dielectric fluid
past the area being machined.
 Dimensional Accuracy (+/- 0.0005 inches per inch).
 Feature Profile accuracy of .0003 is obtainable with cutting path.
 Features to feature true position of .002 is reasonable and down to .001 is
possible when geometry requires removal and reattachment of wire.
 Surface Finish (microinches) Features created by EDM have an "orange
peal" appearance.
 16 Ra is achievable, 64 or higher Ra is typical and less expensive.
 Wall Thickness: Min Wall Thickness (inches): 0.01 (over a 5" inch span).
SINKER EDM

Sinker EDM, also called cavity type EDM or volume EDM consists of an
electrode and workpiece submerged in an insulating liquid such as, more
typically, oil or, less frequently, other dielectric fluids. The electrode and
workpiece are connected to a suitable power supply. The power supply
generates an electrical potential between the two parts. As the electrode
approaches the workpiece, dielectric breakdown occurs in the fluid, forming a
plasma channel, and a small spark jumps.

These sparks usually strike one at a time because it is very unlikely that
different locations in the inter-electrode space have the identical local electrical
characteristics which would enable a spark to occur simultaneously in all such
locations. These sparks happen in huge numbers at seemingly random locations
between the electrode and the workpiece. As the base metal is eroded, and the
spark gap subsequently increased, the electrode is lowered automatically by the
machine so that the process can continue uninterrupted. Several hundred
thousand sparks occur per second, with the actual duty cycle carefully controlled
by the setup parameters. These controlling cycles are sometimes known as "on
time" and "off time", which are more formally defined in the literature.
 The on time setting determines the length
or duration of the spark. Hence, a longer on
time produces a deeper cavity for that spark
and all subsequent sparks for that cycle,
creating a rougher finish on the workpiece.
The reverse is true for a shorter on time. Off
time is the period of time that one spark is
replaced by another. A longer off time, for
example, allows the flushing of dielectric
fluid through a nozzle to clean out the
eroded debris, thereby avoiding a short
circuit. These settings can be maintained in
micro seconds. The typical part geometry is
a complex 3D shape, often with small or
odd shaped angles. Vertical, orbital,
vectorial, directional, helical, conical,
rotational, spin and indexing machining
cycles are also used.

Die-Sinker-EDM-Machined-copper-electrodes
WIRE EDM

Submerged wirecut CNC EDM

In wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), also known as

wire-cut EDM and wire cutting, a thin single-strand metal wire,
usually brass, is fed through the workpiece, submerged in a tank
of dielectric fluid, typically deionized water. Wire-cut EDM is
typically used to cut plates as thick as 300mm and to make
punches, tools, and dies from hard metals that are difficult to
machine with other methods.

The wire, which is constantly fed from a spool, is held between

upper and lower diamond guides. The guides, usually CNC-controlled, move in the
x–y plane. On most machines, the upper guide can also move independently in
the z–u–v axis, giving rise to the ability to cut tapered and transitioning shapes
(circle on the bottom square at the top for example). The upper guide can control
axis movements in x–y–u–v–i–j–k–l–. This allows the wire-cut EDM to be
programmed to cut very intricate and delicate shapes.

The upper and lower diamond guides are

usually accurate to 0.004 mm, and can
have a cutting path or kerf as small as
0.12 mm using Ø 0.1 mm wire, though
the average cutting kerf that achieves the
best economic cost and machining time is
0.335 mm using Ø 0.25 brass wire. The
reason that the cutting width is greater
than the width of the wire is because
sparking occurs from the sides of the wire
to the work piece, causing erosion.
Spools of wire are long—an 8 kg spool of 0.25 mm wire is just over 19 kilometers
in length. Wire diameter can be as small as 20 micrometres and the geometry
precision is not far from +/- 1 micrometer.

The wire-cut process uses water as its dielectric

fluid, controlling its resistivity and other electrical
properties with filters and de-ionizer units. The
water flushes the cut debris away from the cutting
zone. Flushing is an important factor in
determining the maximum feed rate for a given
material thickness.

Wire-cutting EDM is commonly used when low

residual stresses are desired, because it does not
require high cutting forces for removal of material. If the energy/power per pulse
is relatively low (as in finishing operations), little change in the mechanical
properties of a material is expected due to these low residual stresses, although
material that hasn't been stress-relieved can distort in the machining process.

EDM Products
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Some of the advantages of EDM include machining of:

 Complex shapes that would otherwise be difficult to produce with

conventional cutting tools
 Extremely hard material to very close tolerances
 Very small work pieces where conventional cutting tools may damage the
part from excess cutting tool pressure.
 There is no direct contact between tool and work piece. Therefore delicate
sections and weak materials can be machined without any distortion.
 A good surface finish can be obtained.
 Very fine holes can be easily drilled.

Some of the disadvantages of EDM include:

 The slow rate of material removal.

 The additional time and cost used for creating electrodes for ram/sinker
EDM.
 Reproducing sharp corners on the workpiece is difficult due to electrode
wear.
 Specific power consumption is very high.
 Power consumption is high.
 "Overcut" is formed.
 Excessive tool wear occurs during machining.
 Electrically non-conductive materials can be machined only with specific
set-up of the process.