Friday, April 10, 2015

Advantages Of Utilizing Wire EDM Cutting

By Joanna Walsh


Hard metals or materials that would be impossible to cut with traditional techniques are usually cut by using a method called electrical discharge machining. However, this method is only limited to working with materials that are electrically conductive.

The use of such process is advisable when forming delicate cavities or complex contours which cannot be formed using a grinder or an end mill. Most of the time, wire EDM cutting is utilized to form inconel, titanium, hastalloy, kovar, carbide, and hardened tool-steel. Such process is also known as spark machining due to the fact that it gets rid of metal by means of constantly producing electrical discharges. Such discharges' flow are amid an electrode as well as the material being formed.

A continuously flowing liquid will flush away the small amount of material that is removed from the workpiece. A series of successively deeper craters in the workpiece will be created by their discharges until the final shape is produced. Electrical discharge machining methods come in two primary types such as ram and wire. The main difference between these two is the electrode used to perform the carving. Traditional tools are used for a graphite electrode when it comes to the usual ram EDM application.

The specially-carved electrode will then be slowly fed into the workpiece, attached to a ram and connected to the power source. Majority of the time, the entire carving operation is performed while it subsides in a fluid. The purpose of the fluid is to flush the material away, serves as a coolant to reduce the heat affected area to prevent possible workpiece damage and serves as a conductor for the current to pass between the workpiece and the electrode.

Furthermore, it functions as an electrode in the process of wire EDM. In most instances, special brass wires are utilized. Such are inserted into the material carefully while the discharges form the workpiece. Such process is often performed by utilizing a bath water.

When inspected under a microscope, you will learn that the wire is not actually touching the metal. It will be moved inside the work piece and the little amounts of materials will be taken away. For very intricate shapes, it is necessary to employ a computer to have its path controlled.

Majority of the time, this form of carving is used to make molds and dies. At present, it has become a standard method not only to produce prototypes, but some production parts too such as those in low volume applications.

Without a doubt, old-fashioned processes can only be performed on softer materials. Electrical discharge machining, on the contrary, cut hardened materials even without compromising tolerance. Furthermore, such process can make the performance faster. This is due to the fact that it can carve at a really fast speed. For this reason, most of the jobs are completed even within 24 hours. Right now, new carving equipment as well as tools are available. Still, one of the very advantageous among these tools are electric discharge machines due to advantages earlier mentioned.




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