Anyone have an EDM machine?

[signcrafter]

Surfing marketplace again and came across a chinese EDM for sale close by that is pretty cheap. I know what they are for but never used one before. But would be nice when nothing else works when you're in a jam. For the price I wouldn't mind getting it "just in case". But wondering if I would ever use it. Anyone own one and use it in their shop? Do you only use it on broken taps? Is there other things you have found to use it on? Anyone have one of the cheaper chinese ones? Aliexpress has one just like it for 940 dollars shipped, https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005009361686045.html.

I kind of want to go get it just to have just in case I run into a crappy day and need one.

 

[cvairwerks]

Wire or sinker type machine. Huge difference in what they do.....

 

[signcrafter]

Wire or sinker type machine. Huge difference in what they do.....

After some googling it is a sinker machine. I didn't even know they made wire machines. I've only read about them being used for getting broken taps and extractors out.

 

[cvairwerks]

A wire machine will cut patterns and profiles vs simply doing tiny craters. It's like a scroll saw on massive steroids, but for conductive materials only.

 

[MushCreek]

That's an EDM drill, useful only for, well, drilling in hard materials. We used to use them for start holes for wire EDM work. So really, there are three types- plunge, wire, and drill. I guess it would be useful for removing broken taps. Also good if you need long, straight, tiny holes through any conductive material. We used to pop .020" diameter holes through 3" blocks of hardened tool steel.

 

[RoninB4]

I know what they are for but never used one before.

-Do you have any machine shop experience?

For the price I wouldn't mind getting it "just in case". But wondering if I would ever use it.

-How often do you tap or ream holes?

Anyone own one and use it in their shop?

-Have had a few in shops I worked in, enjoyed using it instead of using carbide cutter and digging out the remains.

Do you only use it on broken taps?

-No it can be used on any conductive metal for whatever the situation calls for. I've used them for creating "start holes" for the wire EDM when an engineering change to the tooling is called for in a hardened steel component. Taps, drill bits, end mills, and reamers that are broken/shattered in the hole are the most common uses. That's really what they're best for is on hardened steel, if it's soft steel like a broken fastener you would just machine it out by conventional methods.

Is there other things you have found to use it on?

-It could also be used on frozen ejector pins (mold) or a perforator shattered in the die (stamping die) but I doubt you'd run into that. There's no graduated stage with an "X/Y" axis (Cartesian Grid) so this one has to be aligned by eye or careful measuring. Using it in an engine bay where there are no reference surfaces would be tricky, advancing the electrode it has to be aligned to the axis of the fastener or you'll be burning in places you probably don't want to.

Anyone have one of the cheaper chinese ones?

-Ask yourself what's the record of longevity with Chinese electrical devices? As inconvenient as it might be I'd sooner opt for seeking out a shop that will burn out on demand before dropping hundreds of $$ on an unproven piece I only used in emergencies. I could be wrong about the longevity but I have no faith in Chinese electrical equipment built to a low end price point.

Aliexpress has one just like it for 940 dollars shipped, https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005009361686045.html.

-Call around your area to find out the cost-per-hole from a shop that has a real one.

I kind of want to go get it just to have just in case I run into a crappy day and need one.

-Well if you do get one post up how well it works, I'm always up for being proved wrong.

 

[dr_clyde]

The shop I work at right now has 7 wire EDM machines. Its a very interesting niche in machining.

If I had the space and the money to burn I’d get a wire machine to play with, but they’re expensive to maintain and run.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

I started my apprenticeship on EDMs and still regularly run them. Regardless of brand or type, they require a lot of preventative maintenance and when parts go bad, and they will due to the nature of the machine, they are expensive to replace.

 

[strength_and_power]

My buddy ran conventional sinker and wire EDM machines with the program on a punch tape. I remember him talking about making an electrode that had to be rotated as it cut. It was a housing for a supercharger I believe. He cut a ton of flat parts for his hot rod that took hours to cut on the wire EDM machine that could be cut today on a laser in minutes. I’ll have to see if I can find the 3/4” titanium plug he cut in the shape of the biohazard symbol when I had my earlobe stretched to 3/4”.
If I ever had a need, I’d sub EDM work out without a second thought.

 

[cvairwerks]

Here's a little wire EDM work that is mind blowing on how tight the tolerances can be. It's 13 minutes, but well worth your time if you are fascinated by close tolerance work.

 

[oldmachinenut]

My son cut these out on a Sodick at his work last week. These are aluminum samples, the final pieces will be titanium.

 

[MushCreek]

Here's a half of a mold cavity I made many years ago. Plunge EDM with a 6 piece electrode so I could burn it all at once.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

Here's a little wire EDM work that is mind blowing on how tight the tolerances can be. It's 13 minutes, but well worth your time if you are fascinated by close tolerance work.

We have a w-EDM at the shop that can cut accurately at .00005” with internal radii and external radii smaller than .005” for hours on end. It’s absolutely crazy….until you realize that I work on VMCs that can do the same thing at 40krpm. Modern machining is bonkers. It’s gotten to the point where you have to use gauges and the CMM to check anything cause the mics and indicators aren’t capable of doing the post-run inspection.

 

[Shoreline_]

Shiiiit wire EDM is slow as beans. People say "Your rate is only $60 an hour on EDM!?" yea but it takes 3 days to cut something.

 

[MushCreek]

At least modern wire EDM's can run unattended for those three days. I saw a very early wire machine that used a loop of wire, kind of like a band saw. You threaded the wire through the machine, then welded it together to make a loop. Of course, as you cut, the wire wore down until it broke. Not them most accurate thing. Because of the wire wear, the slot it cut got narrower and narrower.

 

[Shoreline_]

At least modern wire EDM's can run unattended for those three days. I saw a very early wire machine that used a loop of wire, kind of like a band saw. You threaded the wire through the machine, then welded it together to make a loop. Of course, as you cut, the wire wore down until it broke. Not them most accurate thing. Because of the wire wear, the slot it cut got narrower and narrower.

Most modern cnc machines can run unattended.

 

[cvairwerks]

Most modern cnc machines can run unattended.

Had a friend that ran the machining facilities in one location for a major company. They were running almost 300 CNC lathes and Swiss machines in a pure lights out environment. Day shift unloaded the parts and cleaned the machines. 2nds received the bar stock and loaded the magazines and started the machines. The two guys on 3rds, would verify the machines were running and making parts, then go lights out and either go home or camp in the break room area. If they went home, they had to answer a machine down call within 20 minutes and get it back online. They had the lathes in 3 separate buildings, within a 5 mile radius.