Wire electrical discharge machines

Abstract

Amongst the non-conventional machining processes, electrical discharge machining has no doubt gained a deserved reputation and popularity in the second half of the 20th century. Wire electrical discharge machines appeared some 30 years ago, and since then the development of new applications in the field of very hard material precision machining, and consequently, the market share of technology is growing continuously. In this chapter the main aspects related to the technology and equipment for wire electrical discharge machining are addressed: the first research that led to the process as it is known today, machine components and intelligence, industrial and academic research and the latest advances in the field of thin-wire EDM are discussed in the following sections. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.