Wire EDM Machining
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Wire Electrical Discharge Machining, Wire EDM, is a machining process that utilizes a wire filament that carries an electrical charge through the wire and is used to cut away the hard metal elements.
There are two major components required for the wire EDM machine, not the least of which is the wire used to remove the metal in order to shape the product being manufactured. The degree of precision and the amounts of materials that can be removed through successive passes are greatly determined by the composition of the wire, typically copper wire, as well as the type and strength of the electrical current. Certainly, the greater the diameters of the wire, the more material that can be cut with each pass; however, the trade-off with the larger diameter wire is that the degree of precision is decreased.
Most wire EDM machines today are CNC-controlled tools. The acronym CNC stands for "Computer Numerical Control." Rather than rely on the somewhat inaccurate and imprecise "eyeball" approach, modern wire EDM machines rely solely upon computers to guide the wires to cut away only the metal that needs to be removed.
In order to cut designs with greater precision and in order to create 3D objects, wire EDM machines have wires that occupy not only the traditional X and Y axis but also the U and V axis for a standard 4-axis tooling but can also have a 5th access for even greater precision.
The second component of wire EDM is that the metal being worked is commonly inserted and tooled in a tub of fluid, typically a Deionized water which controls the conductivity of the wire for a better cut as well as to help keep the core temperatures down. As is commonly understood, electrical currents passing through metals increase internal temperatures and metal tooled in higher heat environments becomes less rigid and have a loss of tensile strength. An additional advantage of tooling in water is to help remove chips and particles from the work area decreasing the amount of accidental scoring of the finished product as well as to decrease the overall "heat affected zone."
One final advantage to machining in fluid is that it helps to extend the life of the wire itself. Wire EDM machines are high maintenance. The wires must be checked for pitting, scoring, breaks, and other failures on a regular basis. Evidence of any of these if left uncared for, can cause improper tooling of the object, loss of precision or even damage to the machine. By tooling in fluid, the wires are kept cooler and the electrical charges passed through the wires are maintained at a steady rate, thereby extending the wire lives.
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Wire EDM Info provides detailed information about wire EDM machines, machining, heat affected zone, technology and more. Wire EDM Info is the sister site of
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Electrical Discharge Machining Additional Electrical Discharge Machining Articles
What is Wire EDM? What exactly is wire electrical discharge machining, also referred to as Wire EDM? Wire EDM is the process whereby hard metals, those that previously could not be machined or manipulated by traditional methods, could now be machined, manipulated and designed by electrical charges in order to cut away the unwanted metal into heretofore unattainable shapes and designs with greater tolerances and precision.
Wire EDM Machines: An Overview While there are many brands and models of Wire EDM machines available today, the three most prominent manufacturers are Elox, Japax, and Mitsubishi.
Used Wire EDM Machines Unfortunately, while the downturn in the economy in the United States has been an unwelcome event, there are numerous great deals one can find with used wire EDM sales on machines including the Elox-Fanuc, Japax, and Mitsubishi as well as numerous other brands.
Advances in Wire EDM Technology With modern wire EDM machines utilizing CNC (the Computer Control, or the brains of the machine if you will) for production, there is a user-interface device, the computer, where the worker will input the required data for design that will eventually guide the wire EDM machine during the passes and cuts in the process of creating the final product. Moreover, like any computer today, software is needed to run the equipment. This is no different in wire EDM. The CNC Controller and the software application comprise the wire EDM technology.
Wire EDM and the "Heat Affected Zone" In Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (Wire EDM), the process of tooling by using electricity to cut the materials, there is an area that is known as the Heat Affected Zone. What this means is that wherever the electrical wire passes to make the cut, heat is a generated by-product of the electrical cut. The area where the cut is made is known as the heat affected zone.
