WARNING: Machine tools present a safety hazard. Improper operation can result in severe injury. These topics are for non-laboratory study only and are not to be used in conjunction with the operation of any tool or machine described herein. Never use a machine tool without the supervision of a qualified instructor.
Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a machining process used mainly for producing molds . The most common mold found in industry are those used in plasticinjection molding molding. The animation on the right shows the molding process. Plastic granules are melted and fed under pressure into a mold and then cooled. EDM is used extensively in the manufacture of these molds.
EDM can also be used to produce finished parts, such as special shaped cutting tools, parts cut from solid pieces of metal, and other items of complex shapes.
EDM works by using electricity rather than cutting. The electric spark actually vaporizes the metal. The sparks, produced by a spark generator at regular intervals, create a succession of craters in the work piece. Each spark produces a temperature between 8,000 and 12,000° C. The size of the crater depends on the energy turned out by the spark generator. The range of the sparks varies from a few microns to 1 mm
