CNC Wire Cut EDM Machining

In wire cut EDM machining, a thin single-strand metal wire, usually brass, is fed through the workpiece.

Wire EDM can achieve ultra-precision and surface quality by means of tool-to-workpiece electrical discharge machining. Electrical discharge machining, or EDM, is a non-contact form of machining that projects sparks from an electrode or wire to vaporize material of any hardness.

The wire, which is constantly fed from a spool, is held between upper and lower guides. The guides move in the X-Y plane, and sometimes the upper guide can also move independently giving rise to transitioning shapes (circle on the bottom square at the top).

This gives the Wire EDM the ability to be programmed to cut very intricate and delicate shapes. The wire-cut uses water as its dielectric with the water’s resistivity and other electrical properties carefully controlled by filters and de-ionizer units.