Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wire EDM 101

Wire EDM refers to wire electrical discharge machining. It uses a wire electrode that travels through the conductive work piece. The electrically charged wire is monitored by a Computer Numerically Controlled system or CNC.

Wire EDM removes a part of the material from the work piece, by spark erosion. In this process the wire never comes in contact with the work piece. The electrically charged wire leaves a path on the work piece, which is slightly larger than the wire itself.

The gap between the wire and the work piece generates high voltage electrical pulses. The high voltage and the controlled spark melt and vaporize a small part of the work piece. Each spark produces a temperature of 10000 C, where the energy turned out by the power supply decides the size of the spark penetration into the material.

Wire EDM are basically developed for the tool & die industry. The improvement in the cutting speed, reliability, unattended operation and accuracy is making it very popular in many industries, such as the aerospace, automotive, defense and electronics.

The dielectric fluid acts as an insulator and a flushing agent, during the cutting process. Further through the process of flushing, the dielectric fluid is emitted through the upper and lower heads of the machine. The pressurized fluid also helps in removing the eroded material produced by sparks.

Wire EDM promises high precision as it produces a profile accuracy of 0.00004'. It depends on the quality of the EDM and enables high finish standards obtaining surface finishes 8 micro inches.

The multiple work piece set- up and unattended operation saves a lot of time, which can be utilized on other job functions. The wire EDM system is very cost effective and can be operated at around $4 per hour, in normal cutting conditions.

Wire EDM provides detailed information on Wire EDM, Wire EDM Machining, Wire EDM Machines, Used Wire EDM and more. Wire EDM is affiliated with Shock And Vibration Testing.

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