Talk:Electrical discharge machining

message: Much of this article appears to be copied directly out of the following article:
http://www.wseas.org/multimedia/journals/mechanics/2012/54-267.pdf
... which is, furthermore, uncited!
That is inappropriate.
20:08, 13 July 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: That's a predatory journal - likely retroplagiarism Guy (Help!) 09:20, 11 January 2019 (UTC)
replies: text:  The section "Generalities" was introduced in 2009 , long before the journal article was published, with a section called "Generalities" that matches what this article had in March 2012, even down to underlining links. --Wtshymanski (talk) 18:45, 11 January 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Plagarism 

message: Thought folks might find these useful for inclusion either as resources or cut and paste or rephrase portions in the main article(s)?
* Research carried on EDM process
* When Should You EDM?
* EDM Wire and related resources.
* New Arc Detection Technology for Highly Efficient Electro-Discharge Machining
Mgmirkin 19:48, 11 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Resources

message: Anyone care to go into detail on the actual physical mechanics of how EDM works? IE, the actual physical processes that enable EDM to work by increasing electrical stresses, super-heating and ejecting material from the surface, byproducts created (microscopic spherules), how the byproducts are flushed, how often, what happens if the byproducts aren't flushed, etc.
Seems like this would all be handy info for the article...? Anyone want to tackle it? I'm not sure I'm technical enough to trite the technical parts, though I have a pretty decent understanding of the processes involved. Not sure I can write it out sufficiently technically to do it justice. Mgmirkin 20:04, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Specifics?

message: Is there any difference between EDM and spark erosion?  From the description of both (and my understanding of EDM), they seem to be different terms for the same process.  --GargoyleMT 02:51, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Spark erosion is how EDM works.  Spark erosion occurs in other stuff, but that's not how the article is written.  I support a merge. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Toastydeath (talk • contribs) 06:21, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

text: My understanding is that EDM and spark erosion are basically two names for the same thing. I think that EDM is a more standard industry term, but they're fairly interchangeable. I support a merge/redirect into EDM. As the prior user commented, spark erosion is the process by which EDM works, IE lots of tiny tiny spark eroding a surface in an electrically active process. Basically, you get a dielectric fluid of some sort, then use either a machined template (die) or a wire to electrically erode or cut parts to be machined. As the objects get closer and the electric current is applied, tons of tiny sparks form between the objects, causing erosion. Slowly but surely, the unmachined form takes the inverted shape of the die that's being sunk toward/into it. Wire cut uses a wire rather than a a die, and can machine complex shapes that a die can't necessarily. Long story short. Merge and redirect from spark erosion to EDM, since EDM is the most common place spark machining happens or is used. Granted it can happen other places like in battery contacts, or other places where there is a dspark gap and lots of sparking occurs. Contacts can get eroded over time, etc. Still, it's mostly used in relation to EDM. Mgmirkin 23:50, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

text: I agree with Mgmirkin. Spark erosion is the process but it refers to the same thing. I am in support of a merge but there is information in the Spark Erosion that is not in the Electrical_Discharge_Machining article. 80.43.158.2 21:22, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Done, but if someone wants to integrate Advantages and Disadvantages more, I'd appreciate it. --GargoyleMT 00:25, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

text: I would disagree with a merge on this article. I work for an EDM Sales company and while spark erosion is HOW Electrical Discharge Machining works, it doesn't encompass fully what Electrical Discharge Machining is. Merging the articles would, in my opinion cause an information loss for EDM. -- midnightbex 15:52, 20 March 2008  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.73.233.86 (talk)  
This action seems to have been already taken. Gjroyce (talk) 04:33, 28 September 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposed merge with [[spark erosion]] 

message: Please fix this. Built in 1969 but invented in 1980? Please. -- 92.229.164.108 (talk) 22:41, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: This has been resolved. Wizard191 (talk) 21:08, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  The history section self-contradicts. 

message: I WANT CLEAR PICTUERE ABOUT "HOW TO RECHARGE EDM MACHINE? & WHICH MATERIAL IS USED IN THIS PROCESS?"  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.151.211.70 (talk) 06:14, 2 September 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: What would you like to recharge? I've been asked many times if used Wire EDM electrode wire can be re-used and I have found no evidence this is possible. Every manufacturer of wire I've used will only make wire from virgin materials. Used wire has a heat affected zone and a layer of recast, much like the workpiece, so the chemical structure and composition of the wire is no longer uniform. The obstacles only multiply as you consider the difficulties in either refurbishing or purifying the used wire and re-drawing it (of which I know little about). The main thing to look at is that wire costs around $1-2USD per hour and it would take more than that to try to make the used wire into good wire again. I hope that's what you were asking and that it sheds some light on your question Gjroyce (talk) 04:33, 28 September 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  EDM MACHINE 

message: I work with Wire EDM machines every day and I believe the following statement (found under the subsection Wire EDM is incorrect:
The upper guide can control axis movements in x–y–u–v–i–j–k–l–.
Furthermore, I believe that the entire second paragraph of this section fails to completely describe how the wire electrode is positioned around a workpiece, which is crucial to understanding the benefit of these machines.
I think it is more correct to re-write the second paragraph of the aforementioned subsection to more clearly state the information provided and also to add crucial information that is not present. Here is a list of key points I would cover. I will fetch my operator's manual for the late model Fanuc Wire EDMs in hopes that it will serve as an authoritative source for some of this information:
* Physical planes
** The machine guides the electrode wire from a spool of unused wire through two independent sets of guides and energizing contacts called "heads."
** The lower head is below the workpiece and moves in a horizontal 2 dimensional plane where the axes are labeled "X" and "Y".
** The upper head is above the workpiece and moves in a horizontal 2 dimensional plane where the axes are labeled "U" and "V".
** The upper head can move perpendicularly between the XY and UV plane to adjust for workpieces of different thicknesses, to minimize the distance between guides, and to bring flushing closer to the top of the workpiece.
* Motion (seems like a lot of this would be covered by CNC, but there seems to be little mention of actual movement after I skimmed through it)
** CNC machines are much more prevalent (unsure where this citation can come from).  
** Usually, 5 axis Wire EDM machines can only move in straight lines, arcs, and, sometimes, full circles. 6th and 7th axis tables exist that can provide motion in additional axes, commonly rotational about the XZ or YZ planes.
** Straight line XY and UV motions require only an endpoint.
** Arc or circular XY and UV motions require an endpoint and also the location of the center of the radius, designated by "I" and "J" for the XY plane and "K" and "L" for the UV plane.
** This combination of upper and lower plane movements can create anything from cylinders and boxes to complex 3d contours with constantly changing wire angles, for example, a shape with a square on top and a circle on the bottom.
* Logical planes
** The path that the heads must travel does not have to be the same as the resulting workpiece.
** Instead of requiring the operator to interpolate between the desired result and the required position of the guides, programs can be written using a programming and thickness plane.
** The programming plane is an arbitrary Z height parallel to the XY and UV axes to simplify programming.
** The thickness plane is usually a signed distance from the program plane to another arbitrary Z height.
** Setting these two logical heights to points at which the part schematic corresponds to the workpiece's orientation in the XY and UV planes is common.
I will try to solidify this into something more workable, but if someone has more time than I and can try to fix this issue, I would have no objections. This is my first contribution and I hope I've provided some useful insight. Gjroyce (talk) 04:33, 28 September 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Wire EDM Axis movements 

message: "In 1969 Agie launched the world's first numerically controlled (CNC) wire-cut EDM machine.[2][3] Seibu developed the first CNC wire EDM machine 1972 and the first system manufactured in Japan."
These claim the same "first" for two different companies. Can someone in the know straighten this out? Are they really talking about the same "first"? -- Dougher (talk) 13:02, 6 December 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: I have replaced both these claims with history from an independant reliable source, Jameson.  Jameson seems to deliberately avoid naming companies and his dates are not quite the same so I think the company names should be left out, at least until reliable sources are found.  Part of the problem here is that there is a distinction to be made between NC (the Agie claim) and CNC (the Seibu claim) which Jameson explains but our article had conflated.  Another problem is that these claims only relate to wire-cut machines, not EDM in general.  Again Jameson makes a clear distinction between die-sink and wire-cut machines which our article mixes.  I will add a die-sink sub-head to the history to clarify this. SpinningSpark 20:55, 6 December 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Conficting statements of "first" 

message: I would like to see some examples of typical operating parameters:
* Gap length
* Voltage
* Peak current
* Charge
* Pulse rate
* Pulse energy
* Travel speed
Comfr (talk) 19:19, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Typical parameters 

message: Some sources such as this: http://cdn.intechweb.org/pdfs/6629.pdf talk about EDM being used in MEMS technologies. Perhaps this is worth dedicating a section to? This article as it stands seems to focus on macro-scale manufacturing.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by TheUnnamedNewbie (talk • contribs) 10:20, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Use in MEMS 

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