Electrical Discharge Machining or EDM is electrical equipment or a machining method that is used for hard metallic materials. It is primarily used on hard metals that cannot be processed by traditional methods and techniques. Electrical Discharge Machining, however, only works with metallic objects that are electrically conductive. EDM can cut small unusual shaped angles, complex curves and outlines in numerous types of extremely hard steels and exotic metals like titanium and carbide just to name a few.



1. How It Works

Sometime referred to as spark machining or spark eroding. Electrical discharge machining is a method of removing material by a series of rapidly recurring electric discharges between the cutting tool and the work piece, in the presence of an energetic electrical field. The EDM equipment is guided very close along the desired path but it does not touch the metallic piece. Instead the sparks produce a series of micro-crates on the metallic piece and remove materials along the desired path by melting and vaporizing them. The wasted particles then are washed away by the continuous flushing of dielectric fluid.

2. Choose Your Type Of Machine

First you should specify what kind of Electrical Discharge machine you are going to utilize for there are two types of Electrical discharge machining equipment on the market today. The wire and the probe or die sinker Electronic Discharge Machine. If your company is into processing complex geometric shapes then the probe or die sinker EDM is the tool that you should use and buy. This kind of Electrical Discharge Machining tool uses a machine graphite or copper electrode to erode the desired shape into the metallic materials. Alternatively, if your company is more into assembly part cutting then the wire EDM is the best machining method to be used. In a wire EDM a hole must be first drilled into the material then a wire will be fed through it to cut the desired shapes.

3. Scale Of Production

The next thing to think about is the scale of production that your company will be manufacturing. If it is on a large scale production then you should think of buying bigger Electrical discharge machining Equipments. There are selling companies that give out discount if you will be purchasing a large amount of EMD tools. Of course, if your company is into small amounts of production and will be utilizing EDM tools on a one time usage basis only, then you can just have your metallic pieces cut-out by EDM companies. It is much cheaper to just pay for the service charge than purchasing your own Electrical discharge machining Tools.

4. Ask Yourself:

- What kind of products will I be producing?

- How many products will I be producing?

- Do I have the right amount of money and resources to fabricate this product?

5. Getting The Best Deal

You can find numerous companies that sell different kinds of Electrical discharge machining tools on the internet. So before going to the nearest EDM stores in your locality, why not check out the internet first, it could save you time, money and the hassle of driving out in the city. And with the tight competition of online companies you can even find a discounted price for new EDM equipments online. There are also e-commerce sites that offer second hand and fully refurbished electrical discharge machining tools on the internet. So if you are having financial issues but really need to buy one, second hand EMD equipment may work fine for you.