Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
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FUNDAMENTAL MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
Electrical Discharge Machining - EDM
SCENE 1.
EDM67A, CGS: Wire EDM
white text, centered on background
FMP BKG, motion background
SCENE 2.
EDM68A, SME4463, 05:58:18:00-05:58:36:00
zoom in, wire edm operation
EDM68B, SME2686, 07:05:05:00-07:05:20:00
zoom out, wire edm operation, alternate
shot
EDM68C, SME2665, 03:04:35:00-03:04:55:00
wire edm operation, alternate shot
EDM68D, SME4136, 07:17:04:00-07:17:23:00
zoom in, progressive die operation
EDM68E, SME3783, 01:14:12:00-01:14:44:00
plastic mold making
NARRATION (VO):
SCENE 3.
EDM69A, SME2686, 07:07:13:00-07:07:39:00
zoom in, wire being dispensed from wire
edm system
NARRATION (VO):
WIRE EDM MACHINES USE A TRAVELING WIRE
ELECTRODE TO CUT COMPLEX OUTLINES AND FINE
DETAILS FOR TYPICALLY STAMPING OR BLANKING
DIES...,
OR MOLDS OF PRE-HARDENED TOOL STEEL.
THE WIRE DRIVE SYSTEM CONTINUOUSLY
DELIVERS FRESH WIRE UNDER CONSTANT TENSION
TO THE WORK AREA. THE WIRE, COMMONLY MADE
FROM BRASS, IS GUIDED BY A SET OF SAPPHIRE
OR DIAMOND WIRE GUIDES. NEW WIRE IS ALWAYS
EXPOSED TO THE PART, SO ELECTRODE WEAR
ISN’T A PROBLEM AS WITH RAM EDM.
SCENE 4.
EDM70A, SME4486, 10:07:00:00-10:07:19:00
zoom in, operator programming wire edm
machine
EDM70B, SME4486, 10:25:56:00-10:26:17:00
operator starting up wire edm machine,
alternate shot
EDM70C, SME4446, 13:01:30:00-13:02:42:00
workpiece robotically loaded to
unattended wire edm machine, edit at
multiple points
NARRATION (VO):
SCENE 5.
EDM71A, SME4435, 02:40:10:00-02:40:45:00
wide, wire edm system
NARRATION (VO):
WIRE EDM MACHINES ARE ALSO EASIER FOR AN
OPERATOR TO LEARN THAN RAM EDM MACHINES.
AND THEY CAN RUN UNATTENDED FOR LONG
PERIODS, INCLUDING OVERNIGHT AND WEEKENDS.
Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
EDM71B, CGS: Power Supply
Dielectric System
Wire Feeding System
Positioning System
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THERE ARE FOUR BASIC WIRE EDM SUBSYSTEMS,
ALL OF WHICH ARE CNC CONTROLLED. THOSE
SUBSYSTEMS INCLUDE:
THE POWER SUPPLY,
THE DIELECTRIC SYSTEM,
THE WIRE FEEDING SYSTEM,
AND THE POSITIONING SYSTEM.
SCENE 6.
EDM46A, CGS: Power Supply
EDM72B, SME4463, 06:02:10:00-06:02:28:00
zoom in, wire edm operation
NARRATION (VO):
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE WIRE EDM POWER
SUPPLY ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF DIESINKER
EDM: IT PROVIDES A SERIES OF ‘DC’ CURRENT
ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES BETWEEN THE WIRE
ELECTRODE AND THE WORKPIECE.
SCENE 7.
EDM49A, CGS: Dielectric System
EDM73B, SME4486, 10:17:00:00-10:17:25:00
zoom out, wire edm operation
EDM73C, SME4318, 12:09:22:00-12:09:34:00
wire edm operation
EDM73D, SME4463, 05:59:22:00-05:59:37:00
zoom out, filtration system
NARRATION (VO):
AS WITH RAM EDM, FLUSHING IS CRITICAL. THE
WIRE EDM DIELECTRIC SYSTEM USES DEIONIZED
WATER, WHICH CAN REMOVE HEAT MORE
EFFICIENTLY THAN CONVENTIONAL DIELECTRIC
OILS AND PRODUCES EXTREMELY THIN RECAST
LAYERS. HOWEVER, THE WATER DIELECTRIC MUST
BE KEPT CLEAN AND FREE OF DEBRIS AND
DISSOLVED MINERALS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE
MAKE IT TOO CONDUCTIVE TO SERVE IN THE EDM
PROCESS.
SCENE 8.
EDM74A, SME4450, 16:02:37:00-16:03:02:00
flushing along wire edm wire
EDM74B, SME4436, 03:22:48:00-03:23:10:00
zoom out, submerged wire edm operation
NARRATION (VO):
FLUSHING IS DONE ALONG THE WIRE WITH
FLUSHING NOZZLES. IN SOME CASES THE
WORKPIECE AND WIRE ARE COMPLETELY
Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
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SUBMERGED IN THE DIELECTRIC.
SCENE 9.
EDM75A, SME4436, 03:28:07:00-03:28:23:00
zoom out, submerged wire edm operation
EDM75B, SME4486, 10:37:07:00-10:37:52:00
wire edm tank filling with dielectric
fluid
NARRATION (VO):
THE DOWNSIDE OF SUBMERGED CUTTING IS THAT
ELECTROLYTIC CORROSION CAN HARM
WORKPIECES. ADDITIONALLY, MACHINES WITH
TANKS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE, AND CYCLE TIMES
ARE INCREASED BY FILL AND DRAIN TIMES.
SCENE 10.
EDM76A, CGS: Wire Feeding System
EDM76B, SME4446, 13:07:29:00-13:08:16:00
zoom out, wire feeding system
EDM76C, CGS: A Large Spool of Wire
Rollers that Direct the Wire
through the Machine
A Metal Contact to Conduct
Power to the Wire
Guides to Keep the Wire
Straight in the Cut
Pinch Rolls which provide
Drive & Wire Tension
A System to Thread the Wire
from the Upper to the Lower
Guide
An Idle/Balancing Arm
A Sensor to Detect when the
Wire Runs Out/Breaks
EDM76D, SME2675, 05:11:14:00-05:11:25:00
wire taken up on take-up reel
EDM76E, SME2663, 01:19:10:00-01:19:21:00
zoom out, wire collecting in bin
NARRATION (VO):
THE WIRE FEEDING MECHANISM IS COMPOSED OF
SEVERAL ELEMENTS, INCLUDING:
A LARGE SPOOL OF WIRE,
ROLLERS THAT DIRECT THE WIRE THROUGH THE
MACHINE,
A METAL CONTACT TO CONDUCT POWER TO THE
WIRE,
GUIDES TO KEEP THE WIRE STRAIGHT IN THE
CUT,
PINCH ROLLS WHICH PROVIDE DRIVE AND WIRE
TENSION,
A SYSTEM TO THREAD THE WIRE FROM THE UPPER
TO THE LOWER GUIDE,
AN IDLE OR BALANCING ARM,
A SENSOR TO DETECT WHEN THE WIRE RUNS OUT
OR BREAKS.
AND POSSIBLY, A TAKE-UP SPOOL FOR SPENT
WIRE, OR A PLACE FOR WIRE TO COLLECT.
SCENE 11.
, SME4463, 05:03:56:00-05:04:27:00
automatic wire rethreading operation
, SME4463, 05:04:42:00-05:05:00:00
NARRATION (VO):
AN AUTOMATIC WIRE RETHREADING SYSTEM
Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
zoom in, wire edming after rethreading
operation
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ALLOWS THE WIRE EDM TO RUN UNATTENDED BY
RETHREADING THE WIRE AFTER IT HAS BROKEN.
SCENE 12.
continue previous shot
EDM78A, CGS: 0.002-0.013 of an Inch
0.05-0.33 of a Millimeter
EDM78B, SME4463, 05:15:08:00-05:15:33:00
zoom out, wire unwinding on edm machine
EDM78C, SME4463, 05:55:46:00-05:56:29:00
zoom out, wire edm operation
EDM78D, CGS: 20-25 Square Inches
130-160 Square Centimeters
NARRATION (VO):
TYPICAL WIRE DIAMETERS RUN FROM TWO- TO
THIRTEEN-THOUSANDTHS OF AN INCH, OR FIVETO THIRTY-THREE HUNDREDTHS OF A
MILLIMETER. BECAUSE THE WIRE ELECTRODE IS
SO THIN, POWER IS LIMITED AND METAL
REMOVAL RATES ARE RELATIVELY LOW. REMOVAL
RATES ARE MEASURED IN DISTANCE TRAVERSED
PER HOUR TIMES THE THICKNESS OF THE WORK,
AND THUS CAN BE EXPRESSED AS ‘SQUARE
INCHES, OR SQUARE CENTIMETERS PER HOUR’.
TOP SPEEDS FOR WIRE EDM ARE IN THE RANGE
OF TWENTY TO TWENTY-FIVE SQUARE INCHES, OR
130 TO 160 SQUARE CENTIMETERS, PER HOUR.
SCENE 13.
EDM79A, CGS: Positioning System
EDM79B, SME4446, 13:05:30:00-13:05:59:00
wire edm table moving into position,
electrode moving down
NARRATION (VO):
THE WIRE EDM POSITIONING SYSTEM MAY USE A
CNC TWO-AXIS TABLE AND, DEPENDING ON THE
CUTS THAT MUST BE MADE, PROVIDE A VARIETY
OF MULTI-AXIS WIRE POSITIONING
CAPABILITIES.
SCENE 14.
EDM80A, SME4450, 16:01:24:00-16:01:34:00
zoom out, two-axis pcd wire edm operation
NARRATION (VO):
A TWO-AXIS WIRE EDM MACHINE CAN ONLY MAKE
CUTS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE WORK TABLE.
SCENE 15.
EDM81A, SME2686, 07:03:23:00-07:03:39:00
multi-axis wire edm operation creating
tapered angles
EDM81B, SME4299, 13:13:15:00-13:13:28:00
NARRATION (VO):
AN INDEPENDENT MULTI-AXIS MACHINE CAN
Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
zoom out, extrusion dies
EDM81C, SME4299, 13:14:33:00-13:14:47:00
zoom out, extrusion die, alternate shot
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CREATE TAPERED ANGLES, EVEN WITH A TOP
PROFILE THAT IS A DIFFERENT SHAPE THAN THE
BOTTOM PROFILE. THIS IS NECESSARY FOR
PRODUCING WORKPIECES SUCH AS EXTRUSION
DIES AND FLOW VALVES.
SCENE 16.
EDM82A, SME4435, 02:40:58:00-02:41:23:00
zoom out, wire edm operation
NARRATION (VO):
AS IN RAM EDM, THE WIRE ELECTRODE NEVER
TOUCHES THE WORKPIECE WHILE CUTTING. THE
SERVO SYSTEM MAINTAINS A GAP OF AT LEAST
ONE-THOUSANDTH OF AN INCH OR 25THOUSANDTHS OF A MILLIMETER BETWEEN WIRE
AND WORKPIECE.
SCENE 17.
EDM83A, SME2675, 05:09:26:00-05:09:40:00
c.u. wire edm operation
EDM83B, ANI: wire cutaway in cut with
kerf
EDM83C, ANI: double arrows indicating
width of wire
EDM83D, ANI: double arrows indicating
width of kerf
EDM83E, CGS: 0.012 Inch/0.3 Millimeter
EDM83F, CGS: 0.015 Inch/0.4 Millimeter
NARRATION (VO):
SPARK EROSION PRODUCES A KERF OR OVERCUT
IN THE WORK SURFACE THAT IS SLIGHTLY
LARGER THAN THE WIRE’S DIAMETER. THUS A
WIRE DIAMETER OF TWELVE-THOUSANDTHS OF AN
INCH OR THREE-TENTHS OF A MILLIMETER, FOR
EXAMPLE, CAN CREATE A KERF OF FIFTEEN
THOUSANDTHS OF AN INCH OR FOUR TENTHS OF A
MILLIMETER.
SCENE 18.
EDM84A, SME4318, 12:07:54:00-12:08:32:00
wire edm beginning cut in part
NARRATION (VO):
THE WIRE CUTS ALONG A PROGRAMMED PATH. IT
STARTS CUTTING FROM THE SIDE OF THE
WORKPIECE OR FROM A HOLE DRILLED BY A EDM
HOLEMAKING MACHINE, MILL, OR DRILL PRESS.
SCENE 19.
EDM85A, SME2687, 08:01:56:00-08:02:12:00
zoom out, wire edming of multiple thin
NARRATION (VO):
Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
parts
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WIRE EDM MACHINES CAN ALSO PROCESS PARTS
THAT ARE STACKED, CUTTING MULTIPLE THIN
PARTS AT A PASS. UNDER THESE CONDITIONS,
HOWEVER, FLUSHING OF THE CUT CAN BE
PROBLEMATIC.
SCENE 20.
EDM86A, still, micro scale wire edmed
part
NARRATION (VO):
WIRE EDM CAN BE SCALED DOWN TO PRODUCE
MICRO-SCALE PARTS, SUCH AS THOSE USED IN
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS.
--- TOUCH BLACK ---
SCENE 21.
EDM87A, SME4436, 03:32:32:00-03:32:53:00
zoom out, edm hole making operation
EDM87B, SME3783, 01:05:09:00-01:05:38:00
zoom out, edm hole making operation,
alternate shot
EDM87C, SME4435, 02:30:03:00-02:30:22:00
edm hole making operation, alternate shot
NARRATION (VO):
THERE IS A THIRD TYPE OF ELECTRICAL
DISCHARGE MACHINING, WHOSE PURPOSE IT IS
TO DRILL SMALL, DEEP HOLES; PILOT HOLES;
AND SLOTS OF ROUND OR IRREGULAR SHAPES.
SCENE 22.
EDM88A, still, hole making electrode ends
EDM88B, still, hole making electrode ends
EDM88C, SME4372, 02:04:59:00-02:05:30:00
zoom out, edm hole making operation
EDM88D, SME4445, 12:10:14:00-12:10:35:00
edm hole making operation
EDM88E, SME4445, 12:14:45:00-12:15:18:00
wide, zoom in, edm hole making operation
NARRATION (VO):
THESE MACHINES TYPICALLY USE LONG TUBULAR
OR SOLID ELECTRODES, TYPICALLY WITH
DIAMETERS FROM ONE-HUNDREDTH TO ONE-EIGHTH
OF AN INCH, OR ONE-QUARTER OF A MILLIMETER
TO THREE MILLIMETERS. THESE ELECTRODES ARE
ROTATED AT MODERATE SPEEDS OF UP TO 100
REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE DURING DRILLING.
THE ROTATION AIDS IN FLUSHING THE CUT, AND
TENDS TO CREATE UNIFORM ELECTRODE WEAR.
SCENE 23.
EDM89A, SME4473, 18:18:37:00-18:19:11:00
zoom out, edm hole making operation
EDM89B, SME4372, 02:03:56:00-02:04:20:00
NARRATION (VO):
THESE MACHINES CAN DRILL SMALL HOLES OF
Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
zoom in, edm holemaking operation
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MULTIPLE DIAMETERS, WITH LENGTH-TODIAMETER RATIOS OF 100 TO 1. ACCURACIES
CAN BE NEAR PLUS OR MINUS ONE-THOUSANDTH
OF AN INCH OR 25-THOUSANDTHS OF A
MILLIMETER.
SCENE 24.
EDM90A, still, tapping electrode
EDM90B, SME2674, 04:26:49:00-04:26:58:00
tapping electrode, alternate shot
EDM90C, SME2674, 04:24:46:00-04:25:05:00
tapping using electrode
EDM90D, SME2674, 04:25:29:00-04:25:46:00
tapping using electrode, alternate shot
NARRATION (VO):
TAPPING ELECTRODES ARE ALSO USED TO CREATE
THREADED HOLES IN EITHER SOLID OR
PREDRILLED HARDENED MATERIALS.
--- TOUCH BLACK ---
SCENE 25.
EDM91A, CGS: EDM Safety
EDM91B, SME2687, 08:18:04:00-08:18:25:00
edm operation with sparking and flames
EDM91C, SME2687, 08:18:40:00-08:19:48:00
edm operation with sparking and flames,
alternate shot
EDM91D, SME4445, 12:27:32:00-12:27:44:00
proper ram edming operation
NARRATION (VO):
FIRE IS A RISK WITH RAM EDMING IF THE
DIELECTRIC FLUID LEVEL FALLS BELOW THE
LEVEL OF SPARKING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE
DIELECTRIC CAN BE HEATED ABOVE ITS
FLASHPOINT, AND THE SPARKS CAN IGNITE IT.
CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT THE
DIELECTRIC REMAINS AT OR ABOVE SAFE
LEVELS.
SCENE 26.
EDM92A, SME4435, 02:06:09:00-02:06:25:00
zoom out, edm operation creating a lot of
smoke
NARRATION (VO):
SMOKE FROM THE EDM PROCESS CAN BE AN
IRRITANT, AT THE VERY LEAST. SMOKE SHOULD
BE PROPERLY VENTED, OR SMOKE-REMOVING
UNITS ATTACHED TO THE EDM MACHINE.
SCENE 27.
EDM93A, SME3783, 01:02:42:00-01:02:59:00
ram edm operation with a lot of smoke
EDM93B, SME2687, 08:16:06:00-08:16:20:00
zoom out, ram edm operation with
dielectric fluid, alternate shot
NARRATION (VO):
DIELECTRIC FLUIDS CAN CAUSE HAND, SKIN AND
EYE IRRITATION, NECESSITATING THE USE OF
Copyright © 2014 Society of Manufacturing Engineers
EDM93C, SME2687, 08:16:42:00-08:16:57:00
zoom in, ram edm operation with
dielectric fluid, alternate shot
EDM93D, SME4507, 12:05:57:00-12:06:24:00
gloved hands removing electrode,
replacing with new electrode
PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT.
--- FADE TO BLACK ---
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