What Is Wire EDM?

Wire electrical discharge machining or EDM, is thesectors for prototyping and manufacturing various
process by which hard metals, which previously couldparts. These systems have proved to be of great
not be manipulated or machined by conventionalhelp to jewelry designers as well. It is now more
methods, can be machined and designed withconvenient to work on intricate jewelry and wire
electrical erosion.EDM even facilitates cutting 3D shapes. Artists
The electrical discharge begins at the time when anworking with metals prefer the wire EDM systems.
electrically charged wire is moved very close to theMainly articles of steel and titanium are worked upon
object being machined. The electrically charged wirewith a wire EDM. Joseph Priestly invented the wire
electrode leaves a path on the object, which isEDM in 1770. Though the initial model was very
slightly larger than the wire. Most often a 0.010' wireimprecise and prone to failures, it was fully developed
is used which creates a 0.013' to 0.014' gap. The wireby 1980 and developed into a machine tool. Wire
electrode once passed through the piece cannot beEDM has become popular and is now a key
reused.component in the manufacture of injection molds and
However, there is one limitation of wire EDM. Onlymetal stamping dies.
electrically conductive metals can be molded orWire electrical discharge machining provides the
machined with wire EDM. It enables mold makers toadvantage of only the targeted metal being removed
create many more convoluted items from metal,in the cutting process and no burrs are created on
which previously were unable of being worked upon.the surface. This greatly helps in saving time,
Wire electrical discharge machining systems areespecially with small and intricate shapes.
extensively used in the electronic and aerospace