Arbiser Machine demystifies the process known as “spark machining.”

Wire Electrical Discharge Machining, commonly known as “Wire EDM,” is a bit of a mystery in the machining world. Although it’s been around for decades, Wire EDM is less widely used than traditional CNC machining, leaving many engineers with unanswered questions about this technology. 

If you’re feeling unclear about Wire EDM, don’t rule it out of your machining options yet! Arbiser Machine is here to answer all your questions about our Wire EDM services.

What Exactly Is Wire EDM?

Also known as “spark machining” or “wire burning;” wire EDM is a metal fabrication process that uses electrical discharge to remove material from a piece of material very accurately. The process begins with a metal part being mounted in the machine and  an unspooling wire that does the cutting moving through the part. An electrical current runs through the wire submerged with the part, creating sparks to remove and ultimately shape the metal.

Unlike other machining processes, EDM applies little to no stress on a part, reducing the risk of metal distortion and producing cleaner, smoother products. Moreover, it’s capable of cutting any conductible material—regardless of hardness.

6 Common Questions About Wire EDM

Want to know what else Wire EDM can do?

1. What’s the maximum material thickness you can cut? While entry-level EDM machines typically only cut materials up to about 8” thick, Arbiser Machine’s high-tech equipment slices materials up to almost 15.75”.

2. What materials can you cut? We can cut anything capable of conducting electricity, including: Inconel, titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, carbide, and more.

3. How accurate is Wire EDM? Our state-of-the-art EDM machines have positioning and contour accuracy of +/- 2 microns (0.00008”) which means they are more accurate than we can effectively measure.

4. What kind of surface finish can you obtain with Wire EDM? We do three kinds of cuts: rough cuts, finish cuts and surface finish cuts. With polish passes, we can get down to Ra 0.08µm for many materials, eliminating the need for additional finishing operations. The end result is a finishing that’s super smooth at a microscopic level. (With additional operations, we can achieve a mirrored finish of 2 µin.)

5. How big of a part can you cut? We can cut parts using x, y, z travels of approximately 23.62” in the  X,  13.77” in the Y, and 15.75” in Z.

6. How many parts can you make at a time? Depending on their size, we can make multiple parts simultaneously using our extensive 3R tooling that accurately loads multiple jobs at a time into the machine. We can also stack parts on top of each other and drop a wire down the same path, pulling 16, 20, even 40 pieces out at the same time with a single cut.

7. How does Wire EDM compare in price to CNC machining? There’s a misconception that Wire EDM is expensive. The truth is that when used correctly, spark machining can achieve the most complex features for a reasonable price. 

To learn more about how Wire EDM can help you in your product development efforts contact us today. If you are ready to quote a part that is a fit for Wire EDM, please use our secure part upload form to request a quote.