Electrical Discharge Machine Buying Tips
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.