Rubric:EDM

A lectroerosive dredger (also called an EDM dredger) is a machine used to remove material by means of an electric field discharge. This process makes it possible to carve very precise shapes in hard materials such as metals, carbides or diamonds. EDM machines are often used in industries such as tool making, medical implants or for the precision manufacture of micro-mechanical components.

The operation of the EDM is based on the principle of evaporation of material in an electric field between two electrodes. The first electrode, called the tool, takes the shape of the final product and is placed above or next to the second electrode, called the workpiece. An electric field is created between the electrodes which is able to vaporise small particles of material from the workpiece. This process is called electroerosion.

EDMs can be either manually operated or computer controlled (CNC). CNC EDMs allow very precise material removal that can be programmed and repeated with minimal error. This process is particularly useful for producing complex geometric shapes that would otherwise be difficult to produce by other methods.

The advantages of EDM include:

Ability to produce complex shapes and small products with high precision
Wide range of materials that can be used
Ability to produce microscopic components
Ability to remove hard materials that would otherwise be very difficult or impossible to cut by other methods
Ability to produce prototypes and small batches of products
EDMs are used in many industries such as tool making, aerospace, medicine and jewellery manufacturing. It is a very important tool for producing precise, complex geometric shapes.