Does your business need small or intricately cut shapes for parts, logos, or other metal things? If so, a typical CNC machine service cannot produce what you need, and you may have to turn to a company offering wire EDM services. What is this kind of service and how can it benefit you? Let’s look a little closer to see.
Machining with Wires
Electrical discharge machining (EDM) uses the power of wires conducting electric current to cut and machine all kinds of shapes and sizes. In fact, a basic system includes water, wire, and electricity.
How Can Water Be Used for Machining?
If you used just any kind of water for electrical discharge machining, it wouldn’t work. Standard tap water contains so many minerals that it conducts electricity. When you purify it, you remove all these minerals.
For EDM, you need water that has been purified and turned into a dielectric. Dielectrics are special kinds of insulators that have the power to conduct electric current. However, they are not true conductors or insulators.
Special Wires
You can’t use standard copper or aluminum wiring for wire EDM services. It uses fine wiring that feeds through the system from a spool.
How Does EDM Work?
The EDM process sends electricity through wiring as the metal workpiece sits in a solution of purified water. The electricity gets the wiring so hot that it can literally cut through the metal. The water is a dielectric, so it helps to intensify the sparking process. However, water is also an excellent machining coolant and also carries the cuttings away from the workpiece.
Benefits
Wire EDM services can cut metal shapes that normal machines cannot. You can create special gears and intricate parts with greater precision than casting. Because they can be very small, you can create precision parts for some of the smallest machinery.
