Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

At Eagle Mold Co., Inc., we provide precision machining services through the use of sinker and wire electrical discharge machining, or EDM, equipment. In electrical discharge machining, a concentrated electrical current is used to remove minute portions of the substrate material in accordance with the programmed design. In the sinker EDM process, a custom machined electrode is used to remove material in the shape of the electrode. The electrode is plunged into the material and erodes the material surface from the top down. The electrical power is fine tuned to balance speed and surface finish with higher power settings used to create quick rough cuts and low power settings used to produce a very fine surface finish. In the wire EDM process, a thin wire is used to erode the surface of the part to create straight or tapered cuts in the desired pattern. Different diameters of wire can be used depending on the precision and complexity of the cut.

Any conductive material can be machined using EDM processes, but electrical discharge machining is especially well suited to the machining of high strength alloys. High strength steel alloys such as Inconel and Monel are challenging to machine using traditional milling processes, as they rapidly work harden, causing machining to be laborious and costly. If materials are tempered prior to machining and heat treated after the fact, precision is often lost in the distortion that can result from the heat treating process. In electrical discharge machining, the properties of the material being machined are not affected, meaning tolerances as tight as ±0.0001" can be held and no tempering of the material is required.

Modern EDM equipment is capable of cutting at much higher speeds than older systems, which allows us to provide EDM produced parts in a wider range of volumes than in decades past. The lead time for each project is evaluated on a job by job basis, but turnaround typically averages four weeks for production parts. Expedited service is available as needed to meet rush order deadlines. For additional information about our electrical discharge machining capabilities, see the table below, or contact us directly.