EDM drilling is a specialized tooling process that creates holes in metal parts and products by using electrical energy in the form of sparks to erode the metal. It is an alternative to conventional drilling methods when the material is too strong and resistant as it is an effective machining method for even hard materials such as polycrystalline diamond stock, magnet materials and carbide.
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Wire Cut Company, Inc.Buena Park, CA 800-494-7328 Wire Cut Company's valued employees are specialists that will meet your exact precise requirements. As an AS9100 ISO Certified EDM drilling manufacturer, Wire Cut has been providing high quality services since 1978. Wire Cut has earned a reputation for quickly and economically producing parts that defy traditional practices with the highest of standards in manufacturing techniques.
MILCO Wire EDM, Inc.Huntington Beach, CA 800-998-1885 As an AS9003 compliant services provider, MILCO offers top quality EDM drilling services and has been the industry leader since 1990. With capabilities of numerous specialty services, MILCO caters to all aspects of manufacturing industries, including medical, surgical, aerospace, missile, defense, aeronautical, satellite, tool & die, stamping & commercial. For only the best quality, choose MILCO.
Twin City EDMFridley, MN 800-397-0338 Twin City Manufacturing can meet all your EDM drilling requirements from the simple to the very complex and can provide you with both prototype and high volume production quantities. Since the very beginning, Twin City became recognized as the company that could perform the impossible. Call Twin City's knowledgeable staff today with any questions you may have- you won't regret it!
VW Broaching Service, Inc.Chicago, IL 888-803-9067 For 50 years VW Broaching Service has provided precision EDM drilling services for a wide variety of clients- from the smallest shops to the largest of corporations. VW has worked on parts for every imaginable industry, including biomedical, automotive, home appliances, hand tools, government and consumer goods- you name it, we`ve helped produce it. Let us serve you, too!
EDM Technologies, Inc.Woodstock, GA 866-924-6602 EDM Technologies is a premier EDM drilling job shop-the largest in the Southeast-and an ISO 9001:2008 certified company specializing in a wide range of quality precision services for more than 20 years. With state-of-the-art fully automated high speed machines, EDM Technologies is a cut above the competition. If your job demands high quality and accuracy, please give EDM Technologies a call.
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EDM Drilling
Also known as electrical discharge machining drilling, EDM drilling is accomplished one of two ways - ram EDM and small hole EDM, both of which use an electrode that shoots out electrical charge or sparks which are hot enough to erode away any metal. Holes can be made on curved and angular surfaces, and they are drilled quickly, with accuracy and completely straight. Any electrically conductive material may be drilled by this method, including aluminum, copper, steel, stainless steel, zinc, tin, titanium, gold, lead, silver, iron and bronze. Applications that make use of EDM drilling capabilities include for the creating of holes in turbine blades, fuel injectors, cutting tool coolant holes, hardened punch ejector holes, plastic mold vent holes and wire EDM starter holes which are necessary to start the process of wire cutting using electrical discharge machining. Precise and small holes are required in many different products and therefore EDM machining is used widely in the manufacturing, medical, automotive and aerospace industries.
The EDM drilling process begins with a round, hollow electrode made of brass or a similar metal, which then rotates around a spindle and shoots out electrical sparks that are extremely hot. The metal part or product is clamped down tight so it cannot move, and computer numeric controlled software determines the direction in which the electrode will point. A dielectric fluid bath, usually water based, is used to conduct the electrical current and to reduce the process temperature. It also washes away the eroded material debris and prevents any premature sparking which would result in an imprecise finish. When the electrical sparks, created by a servo-controlled generator, shoot out of the tip, an electric field is created in the gap between the electrode and metal work piece. The surface is slowly eroded by this electrical energy, forming microscopic pockets that eventually form a perfect hole. Hole diameters may be anywhere from 0.03 to 400 mm, and have the option to be extremely deep-up to 100 times the hole diameter. This is a key benefit in EDM drilling, as standard drilling is confined to depths 5 to 6 times the hole's diameter. Those that drill long or large holes through hard materials are often equipped with an automatic electrode changer because they tend to wear out quickly. Though it is costly to replace the electrodes used, this process of EDM drilling is still a cost effective solution to many drilling needs.
