EDM Wire

Hard Brass

The majority of wire EDM MACHINES use standard hard brass wire. There are a multitude of suppliers of this consumable, all offering what they say is the lowest cost and the best quality. What the customer does not see is that there is a real difference in the Quality and cleanliness of the wire. Upfront costs seem low initially, but when you factor in the slower cutting speed, increased wire breakage and increased maintenance due to dirty wire clogging guides and other components, you eventually see a back end loss of profit. This can end up costing considerably more than any up front savings.

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SparQuetec supplies the best quality HITECH brass wire supplied worldwide by the Sodick group. Our wires are a true 60/40 (Brass/Zinc) formulation which improves cutting speed. It is a hard brass with a tensile strength of 1000 N/mm² Because of this, we are one of the fastest cutting Hard Brass wires out there. With the HQ Hard Brass EDM wire, you will find an exceptionally clean wire due to the stringent manufacturing process and QC of the HITECH wire Electrode manufacturer, with little or no brass flakes reducing needed maintenance.

Available wires are .006”, .008”, .010”, .012” on spools of P6, P10, and P20 with DIN-160 (DIN-250 spools available)

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Zinc Coated WIRE

The HITECH Z wire is a high quality Zinc Gamma coated brass wire. The wire is known for being consistent and accurate. Because of the GAMMA coating, there is a noticeable performance boost when cutting virtually any metal or alloy. The wire is economical due to the HOT dipped process used to manufacture the wire. Not only does this wire work well on all Japanese machines, but it works particularly well with the non-AWT European machines as well. Because of the increased speed, the slight price difference is easily justified.

Available wires are .008”, .010”, .012” on spools of P5, P10, and P20 with DIN-160 (DIN-250 spools available)

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EDM Filters

The three rules of EDM are Flushing, Flushing and Flushing. This is to state that the quality of your Di-electric is of utmost importance. The EDM process creates a large amount of fine particulate that if not efficiently removed, causes slower cutting speeds and increased maintenance costs (from premature usage of resin to increase maintenance to clean the machines). Proper filtration is the key. There are no tricks in filtration. With the newest generators creating particulate in the 3 micron range, it is important that your filter media can clean these out. By using low cost filters that seem to last longer, you’ll find that you are starting to affect the speed and precision, and significantly shortening the life of expensive parts within the machine tool itself. Successful EDM filtration is simple, stick with quality filters and see your overall filtration costs come down.

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EDM Resin

The EDM process requires deionised (DI) water. The EDM process enables precision cuts and machining in a variety of electrically conductive metals. Mold-making, tool and die, and the aerospace and electronics industry rely heavily on the EDM technique for prototypes and actual production.

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But successful EDMing requires DI water to act as a coolant, flushing system and dielectric fluid (the three rules of EDMing, Flushing, Flushing, and Flushing). The water cools the working piece and the machine as the EDM process takes place. A current is passed through the anodic work-piece and the cathode tool (the electrode). The work-piece has small amounts of metal dissolved off of it, and the DI water removes this dissolved material through flushing. As an electrical current is doing the work of the cutting, a DI water bath is necessary as an insulator against arcing.

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The DI water is recirculated through ion exchange resin during use, flushing and cooling the work, and delivering the dissolved metal to the resin for capture. Unfortunately all resins have a finite life, and SparQuetec can provide you with a Quality virgin resin to obtain the most efficient ion exchange with the longest life. Our Resin can be supplied in as loose, 28.1 liter boxes or in 28.1 liter socks for your EBBCO style resin containers.

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EDM Electrodes

EDM electrode materials and components consist of highly conductive and/or arc erosion-resistant materials such as graphite, copper or copper graphite. EDM is an acronym for electric discharge machining, a process that uses a controlled electrical spark to erode metal. EDM electrode materials include components made from brass, copper and copper alloys, graphite, molybdenum, silver, and silver tungsten.