This machine tool, which is present in our company, is a machining technology that uses the erosive capabilities of electrical discharges and can only be used on good conductors, essentially metals.
Due to its characteristics, it is a commonly used technology in the industry, and even necessary in the production of molds (especially for plastic components), where the presence of deep and narrow cavities makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to work with conventional milling techniques.
The operation is very simple in itself: a conductive wire is stretched through a hole in the material and then slowly moved, cutting the material with an approach similar to cutting expanded foam with a heated wire.
The main features of the electrical discharge machining process are:
- Ability to work with very hard metals (special steels, high-speed steels, hard metals, etc.), or metals that are hardened by thermal or chemical treatments (tempered, carburized, etc.).
- Ability to create cuts and cavities impossible with conventional techniques. It is possible to obtain sharp edges, create ribs and cavities with shapes or profiles of great complexity.