EDM

The world of EDM can be rather confusing; here is your source for everything in sinker EDM

Sinker EDM is such an essential part of building a plastic injection mold, that many of today’s products simply could not be produced without it.

Besides plastic injection molds, EDM is used for the precision machining of medical parts, aerospace parts, and other highly specialized products.

This is your source for supplies, such as graphite, copper, dielectric fluid, electrode holders, and machinery.

You can also find educational material that attempts to explain this rather mysterious process. Not so long ago, it was as much black art as science. Today, however, much of the mystery is removed due to CNC controls.

EDM is quite a stressful occupation, to put it mildly. It may not appear difficult, but the stress levels can be exhausting. Nearly every mold component that is EDM’d is in the final stages of manufacturing. The slightest mistake can become very costly, very quickly.

There are various methods of managing this stress, one of the most effective is a program developed by Mind Tools.

Back in the early days, electrodes were held by any number of methods: Vee-blocks, angle plates, vises, and many other home-made contraptions. It worked, and many amazing molds have been built using these methods.

Today, every progressive company uses at least one highly sophisticated system of EDM tooling. This tooling is essential for manufacturing, inspection, and the actual machining.

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Electrode Materials

In moldmaking, there are a number of electrode materials to choose from. In actual practice, the selection usually is narrowed down to a few stand-by choices.

Graphite and copper are the dominate materials, with various other materials meeting the needs for special applications. 

Dielectric Fluids

EDM Dielectric fluid is a necessary part of the EDM process. As new types of fluids are developed, higher precision is possible, finer finishes are attainable, and the environmental impact is reduced. An added benefit is that your operators won’t smell like diesel fuel anymore either!