Wire EDM Services

Capabilities:
Wirtz Wire EDM, LLC has the capability to Wire-EDM a 41.3" X 32.3" X 16.1" part.
This is the largest capacity Wire EDM machine in the area.
The machine uses glass scales (not just a ballscrew) to position to 1 thousandth of a micron.  (1 micron is 40 millionths of an inch).  Folks, that is accurate!

The machines have a fully automated wire threader for completely autonomous usage.  We can use your geometry, or we can give you a hand with the design you need with our own CAD/CAM solid modeling software.

Wire EDM is a machining method used to cut conductive materials using a thin wire electrode that follows a predetermined program path.  The typical wire diameters that are used range from .0040" to .0120", though smaller and larger sizes are available.  Although the hardness within a certain class of materials have no dramatic affect on the cutting speed of the class of material being EDM'ed, there can be a drastic range of speeds depending on the material cut.  One may see a five hundred percent increase in speed switching from fast cutting aluminum to very slow cutting graphite.  Deionized water surrounding the cut creates a shield allowing the wire to create an arc, such as a welder.  In this case the water performs two functions: After having said the first is shielding the wire, the 2nd would be to keep the workpiece, machine, and wire itself in at a very constant temperature, to minimize growth and shrinkage of all components of the machine, including the workpiece.

Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines can independently move all five machine axis at the same time.  Each axis controls where the relationship of the upper and lower wire guides are from the vertical axis.  So for instance, if we have a 1" thick progressive die part that needs 1/4 degree relief, 1/4" down from the top of the cut, we would use the vertical wire to cut a straight path all the way around the die cutout, then take a tapered cut offsetting the wire just right to create a taper that starts 1/4" from the top of the part.  On a more elaborate part, such as cutting a profile at the top (such as a square) and then cutting a diameter at the bottom, we can really see where the machine really performs well for many different industries.