MACHINING & MACHINERY
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EDM ZONE
THE BENEFITS OF WIRE EDM MANUFACTURING
Wire Electronic Discharge Machining,
otherwise known as Wire EDM or sometimes
spark erosion, is a form of cutting materials
which can conduct an electronic current.
The process works by transmitting a rapidly
repeating electrical charge in order to
create small impressions on the top layer of
material. You can think of the process like
a precision band saw moving through the
material.
Wire EDM has a number of key benefits
which make it a great choice for
manufacturing component parts. Firstly,
Wire EDM is able to cut very hard materials
with no impact. Metals such as Tungsten
Carbide, one of the hardest materials
in existence, can be cut with Wire EDM.
Other methods of machining require
immense force or pressure to create
the shape needed. Because there is no
impact needed, the material is able to
remain structurally secure and without
imperfections such as stress distortions.
Wire EDM also does not leave any burn
marks which could make the part visually
unappealing.
If you need to manufacture extremely
complex shapes Wire EDM is capable
of producing great results. Thanks to
using, what can be, extremely fine wire,
very precise shape can be achieved.
Furthermore, with the Ionised Water which
surrounds the wire and cutting area, any
material which has been cut away is flushed
out in order to avoid causing issues to the
remaining material.
Some Wire EDM machines have an
automatic wire feed system which
continually feeds fresh wire through the
machine and towards the cutting area. The
machines also auto cut’s the wire to the
desired length and then rethreads the wire
into place to maintain cutting accuracy.
After the wire has been used it can’t go
back through the machine to be used in
the cutting process again. In order to avoid
wasting the used wire, however, some
machines have a built-in feature which
chops up the used wire.
The final key benefit to note with Wire
EDM is that it’s fast and cost effective. For
companies looking to produce a large
number of components while maintaining
the quality, Wire EDM represents a great
option. With an experienced machining
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engineer who is capable of completing the
task in a one step process the time taken
can be significantly reduced compared
to other manufacturing techniques.
Furthermore, the whole process is cost-
effective as there is very little waste and no
need for any heat treatment or cleaning up
of parts after machining.
Overall Wire EDM represents a great
option when it comes to manufacturing
component parts which require high
accuracy and a quick turnaround.
For more information you can visit
www.edmzone.co.uk