Sodick AQ400L wire EDM and AG60L die-sinker EDM. Electrical-discharge machining removes material via controlled sparks — it doesn't care about hardness. We cut A2, D2, M42, and carbide with the same parameters we use on annealed steel.
Conventional machining removes material by forcing a rotating cutter into the workpiece. If the workpiece is harder than the cutter, the cutter loses. This is why traditional machining struggles with hardened tool steels (above ~55 HRC), carbides, and precipitation-hardened alloys at full strength — the tools wear out before they can remove meaningful material.
EDM bypasses this entirely. Instead of mechanical force, it uses controlled electrical discharges between an electrode and the workpiece, submerged in dielectric fluid. Each spark removes a tiny amount of material (micron-scale) through localized melting and vaporization. The process doesn't care about hardness — A2 tool steel at 62 HRC cuts as easily as annealed 1018.
Wire EDM uses a thin electrode wire (0.1–0.3 mm) that's fed continuously — like a CNC band saw, but electrical. Use it for profile cuts, through-features, and sharp internal corners with radius ≈ wire radius. Sinker EDM uses a shaped electrode (usually copper or graphite) that's plunged into the workpiece. Use it for blind cavities, complex 3D pockets, and internal features that aren't profile-based.
| Machine | Capacity | Spindle / Capability | Qty | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sodick AQ400L wire EDM | 400 × 300 × 250 mm | Ø0.1–0.3 mm wire | 3 | Profile cuts, gears, tooling inserts |
| Sodick AQ327L wire EDM | 320 × 250 × 220 mm | Ø0.1–0.25 mm wire | 1 | Smaller parts, finer detail |
| Sodick AG60L die-sinker | 450 × 350 × 300 mm | Copper/graphite electrodes | 1 | 3D cavities, blind pockets, molds |
| Makino EDAF2 die-sinker | 350 × 250 × 300 mm | Copper/graphite electrodes | 1 | High-precision small cavities |
Injection mold cavities, stamping die components, progressive die tooling. Usually D2, H13, or P20 tool steel, hardened and tempered before EDM.
Sharp-cornered punches for progressive stamping dies. Wire EDM produces internal corners down to the wire radius (0.05 mm).
Cooling holes in hot-section blades, complex internal passages in fuel nozzles. Hole-popping EDM variant for arrays of small holes.
Complex articulating geometries in 440C stainless. Wire EDM profiles cut before heat treatment; fine features sinker-cut after.
Pin gauges, plug gauges, master rings. Wire EDM's straightness and accuracy suit gauge-quality production.
Stator laminations, thin-wall bellows housings. Wire EDM can cut stacks of thin material without burring or distortion.
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