A wire cutter apparatus, comprising: a table ; a wire supply drum mounted to the table; a guiding roller vertically displaced from the wire supply drum and mounted to the table, the guiding roller and the wire supply drum each having an axis parallel with one another; cutting wire having a fixed position relative to the table, wherein the cutting wire is wound about the wire supply drum and the guiding roller, and wherein the cutting wire extends from the wire supply drum around the guiding roller and back to the wire supply drum, so that parallel lengths of the cutting wire between the wire supply drum and the guiding roller define a cutting plane; a holder for holding a specimen of material to be cut by the cutting wire; and a plurality of translation stages movable relative to the table, comprising: a feed translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a feed direction that is substantially parallel to the cutting plane; a first translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a first direction at an angle to the feed direction; and a second translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a second direction at an angle to the feed direction; wherein the feed direction, the first direction, and the second direction are in planes orthogonal to the cutting plane; and wherein the plurality of translation stages are configured to move the holder and the specimen held by the holder in the feed direction, the first direction, and the second direction relative to the cutting wire. a table ; a wire supply drum mounted to the table; a guiding roller vertically displaced from the wire supply drum and mounted to the table, the guiding roller and the wire supply drum each having an axis parallel with one another; cutting wire having a fixed position relative to the table, wherein the cutting wire is wound about the wire supply drum and the guiding roller, and wherein the cutting wire extends from the wire supply drum around the guiding roller and back to the wire supply drum, so that parallel lengths of the cutting wire between the wire supply drum and the guiding roller define a cutting plane; a holder for holding a specimen of material to be cut by the cutting wire; and a plurality of translation stages movable relative to the table, comprising: a feed translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a feed direction that is substantially parallel to the cutting plane; a first translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a first direction at an angle to the feed direction; and a second translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a second direction at an angle to the feed direction; wherein the feed direction, the first direction, and the second direction are in planes orthogonal to the cutting plane; and wherein the plurality of translation stages are configured to move the holder and the specimen held by the holder in the feed direction, the first direction, and the second direction relative to the cutting wire. a feed translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a feed direction that is substantially parallel to the cutting plane; a first translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a first direction at an angle to the feed direction; and a second translation stage , coupled to the holder, movable in a second direction at an angle to the feed direction; wherein the feed direction, the first direction, and the second direction are in planes orthogonal to the cutting plane; and wherein the plurality of translation stages are configured to move the holder and the specimen held by the holder in the feed direction, the first direction, and the second direction relative to the cutting wire. <EOS>