What is Wire EDM CAM

The innovation of EDM (Electro Discharge Machining) has been around for more than 100 years. It was first found by an American, Joseph Henry. This process is a very effective and precise technique of cutting, drilling and engraving metals. The primary advantage of using this approach is that it does not require heat or pressure to cut through products.

There are many types of EDM devices which are readily available in the market. Manual EDM is mainly utilized for small jobs where there is no requirement for high precision.

Automatic EDM devices are generally utilized in large scale jobs where there is a need for high precision. These machines are quite costly and need high upkeep costs. Among the most important advantages of EDM over other machining processes is that it is less prone to errors and can provide much better accuracy. Another essential advantage of EDM is that it can produce intricate shapes.

EDM devices are basically based on 2 technologies, wire discharge machining and electrochemical machining. The former involves melting the metal and after that removing it from the electrode through the action of electric present. The latter usages chemical reaction between the electrode and the workpiece to eliminate the metal.

Wire EDM is among the best techniques for carrying out the above mentioned tasks. The process includes positioning a wire with size between 1 and 20 microns into a machining cell. The wire acts like a cutting tool and gets rid of material from the workpiece. This procedure is really comparable to wire cutting except that the wire is moving. In this case the wire imitates a torch. The speed of the wire determines the quality of the cut. The speed of the wire is between 5 to 25 m/s. A typical wire size has to do with 1.5 micron. This wire should be versatile and should be able to flex quickly.

EDM can be done in either air or water. In the case of air, the workpiece is placed inside a vacuum chamber and after that the wire is fed into the chamber. Water EDM is carried out in a tank filled with water. The workpiece is put in the tank and the wire is inserted into the water. In both cases the workpiece must be electrically conductive.

In addition to these, there are many other elements which figure out the quality of the cut. A few of them are:

• The voltage applied to the electrode

• The kind of wire being used

• The type of workpiece being utilized

• The distance in between the wire and the workpiece

• The kind of dielectric fluid being used

• The frequency of the electrical current

• The type of tool holder

• The temperature of the wire

The above mentioned elements affect the performance of the machine. Therefore, in order to get good results, it is important to understand the fundamental concepts of EDM.

classic edm