Wire EDM Machine and Conventional EDM Machines

EDM stands for Electrical Discharge Machining. Essentially, this means an electrical current is passed between an electrode and another conducting surface. In doing so the conducting surface is damaged in a very small and controlled way. The damage to the receiving surface is a tiny erosion. This technique can be used to cut metals. The exact shape of the cut is determined by two methods. Conventional methods uses a pre-shaped electrode that is the opposite shape of the cut you want to achieve. This principle can be understood when righting a message to be reflected in a mirror. If you want your message to be understood from the reflection you need to scribe your message left to right rather than right to left as you would on the written page. A Wire EDM Machine, however, uses a very thin wire that is controlled by a computer and makes a series of pre-programmed movements. The Wire EDM Machine offers some advantages that are further discussed in this website.

Cutting Hard Metals using an EDM Machine

An EDM machine, put simply, is a cutting tool. An EDM machine can be used to make high precision cuts in hard metals. This is extremely advantageous over other cutting methods. Conventional methods for cutting hard metals involve a high degree of friction. A by-product of friction is the conversion of movement to heat. The principles of physics dictate that energy is never lost but converted into another form. In the case of cutting metal that conversion is to heat. When you want to make small and precise cuts to hard metals the presence of excessive and uncontrolled heat serves to warp the metal. An EDM machine does not do this.