Complete EDM

EDM Supplies For The Wire EDM Machine And Electrical Discharge Machine

Buying a wire EDM machine or an electrical discharge machine is a major investment, and the EDM supplies required must also be included in the planning process.

Without the proper supplies, such as dielectric fluid, electrode holders, machine vises, Poco graphite, Erowa or System 3R precision tooling, EDM filter and a good sine plate, the investment will fall short of your expectations.

It might seem hard to imagine that anybody would spend a great deal of money on a Charmilles-Agie WEDM machine, or a Sodick EDM, and skimp on the associated precision tooling, but it happens all the time. Understandably, once you have spend $200,000 on a machine tool, you might not be in any mood to continue spending on what might seem superfluous equipment. This is especially the case when the decision maker is an accountant type, who actually has no idea whatsoever what it takes to produce precision mould components or die inserts.

WEDM wire is so critical to the process that it simply cannot be overlooked. Mitsubishi wire, Hitachi wire or Gisco wire are all quite popular. A good wire will be consistent in diameter and not tend to break. Few things area as maddening as imagining that your wire EDM machine is running all weekend, only to discover that the wire keeps breaking and the machine stops cutting as a result.

Belmont is a leading supplier of WEDM wire and they offer OKI-P wire from .004 in. diameter. This hard brass wire has been an industry standard for many years. They also offer half-hard brass with the OKI-B and OKI-PSX precision half hard brass wire.

Gisco has the Cobra, Topas, Bronco and Megacut lines that have been specifically developed for use in the major WEDM machines from Charmilles, Mitsubishi, Agie, and other machines from Europe and Japan.

The dielectric fluid in the sinker is more important than is often realized. It is also important to regularly change the fluid, in order to maintain consistency in the machining process.

Some popular types of dielectric fluids are KleanKut 245, Rustlick, Commonwealth, and Ionoplus. In the past, most fluids were kerosene or paraffin based, but now most are synthetic.

Electrode holders

A modern die mould or precision metal stamping tool shop uses the best tooling available for their machines. This eliminates the need for tedious and expensive set-ups. With the proper tooling and planning, it is quite possible to move the workpiece and electrode from the high speed milling machine to the EDM without any pickup or orientation at all.

Two of the top suppliers for this precision tooling are System 3R and Erowa. Both companies offer a complete line of machine vises, electrode holders, magnetic chucks, automatic tool changers, pallet changers and various vise tools. Hirschmann, Hermann Schmidt and MeccaTool also are major suppliers for electrode holders.

EDM filter

The wire EDM requires special DI filters to de-ionize the water. All the major companies: Sodick, Charmilles-Agie, Mitsubishi, Makino, Brother, Fanuc, Hitachi, and Japax take different filters. There are several companies that offer after-market filters that are considerably less expensive. Novotec and Advanced EDM Supply, which offers Sunfil filters, are two good suppliers.

The sinker EDM also requires quality filters to ensure proper performance. Some high quality EDM filters are Ebbco, Nova, and Mann. Often, this component is overlooked, yet it is quite critical to the process.

Inspection equipment

Essential to the process are the different types of inspection and set-up tooling. A high quality granite surface plate, drop indicators, test indicators, gage block set, pin gage set, optical comparator, sine plate, toolmakers microscope and precision micrometers are all necessary to check the electrode and workpiece.

The Starrett Company, Hermann Schmidt, Brown and Sharpe, and Mitutoyo all are top suppliers of this type of tooling.

Graphite and copper

Every sinker needs an electrode to work, and graphite and copper are by far the most popular materials. Poco graphite is quite common, though there are many other good sources. Almost all copper electrodes are made from tellurium copper, due to it's excellent machinability properties.

Most shops have long used Poco graphite for sinker EDM machining. Other brands that are very competitive include Toyo Tanso with their TTK-50 graphite, and Amerigraph has a line of high end graphite.

In the past, European and Japanese mould/die makers preferred copper over graphite. This is still the case, but gradually changing. Tellurium copper, known as Telco, is the most common. Electrolytic copper, or pure copper is highly effective, but difficult to machine, therefore it is not as popular.