Friday, April 10, 2015

The Usefulness Of Wire EDM Cutting

By Joanna Walsh


Hard metals or materials that would be impossible to cut with traditional techniques are usually cut by using a method called electrical discharge machining. However, this method is only limited to working with materials that are electrically conductive.

This process is best employed when shaping complex contours or fragile cavities which is impossible even if a grinding tool or a milling cutter is employed. Hardened-tool steel, inconel, hastalloy, kovar and carbide are frequently cut by employing wire EDM cutting. The procedure has another name which is spark machining since it removes metal as a result of the production of repeated electrical discharges. In the middle of an electrode and the material to be shaped is where the discharges will flow.

A continuously flowing liquid will flush away the small amount of material that is removed from the workpiece. A series of successively deeper craters in the workpiece will be created by their discharges until the final shape is produced. Electrical discharge machining methods come in two primary types such as ram and wire. The main difference between these two is the electrode used to perform the carving. Traditional tools are used for a graphite electrode when it comes to the usual ram EDM application.

The specially-carved electrode will then be slowly fed into the workpiece, attached to a ram and connected to the power source. Majority of the time, the entire carving operation is performed while it subsides in a fluid. The purpose of the fluid is to flush the material away, serves as a coolant to reduce the heat affected area to prevent possible workpiece damage and serves as a conductor for the current to pass between the workpiece and the electrode.

Furthermore, it functions as an electrode in the process of wire EDM. In most instances, special brass wires are utilized. Such are inserted into the material carefully while the discharges form the workpiece. Such process is often performed by utilizing a bath water.

When inspected under a microscope, you will learn that the wire is not actually touching the metal. It will be moved inside the work piece and the little amounts of materials will be taken away. For very intricate shapes, it is necessary to employ a computer to have its path controlled.

Majority of the time, this form of carving is used to make molds and dies. At present, it has become a standard method not only to produce prototypes, but some production parts too such as those in low volume applications.

Traditional shaping is only applicable to materials that are softer. In the case of electrical discharge machining, hard materials can be shaped without sacrificing tolerance. On top of that, the job can be completed sooner. This is because the shaping speeds are too fast. Even if there is a limit of twenty-four hours, ninety percent of the job can surely be finished. One will encounter numerous new tools and shaping equipment. Nevertheless, electrical discharge machining is surely one of those very useful ones. The pros of employing these procedure as discussed in this article prove just how valuable of a procedure it is.




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