In the WEDM process the electrode is a metallic wire that
may be coated depending upon the application. The wire runs
between two guides (see Fig. 1), which impose on it the requirements
of verticality. Discharges occur in a dielectric fluid, commonly
de-ionised water, due to the voltage drop across the
gap, and as a consequence of the discharges, work material
is removed. Wire path is programmed by the user and controlled
by the NC of the machine. In recent years, WEDM
has become very popular for the machining of complex shapes
in very hard materials, especially hardened steels and hard
metal, but also aeronautical alloys and even ceramics or PCD.
Tool making is, not doubt, the most typical application of the
process.