A Sinker EDM Machine removes material by controlled sparking rather than by cutting force, which is what makes it possible to machine hardened steel and carbide after heat treatment. This page covers the Sinker EDM Machine configured with 0.2 mm wire and fine finishing circuits and supplied to aerospace suppliers: wire electrical discharge cutting with skim passes for finish and taper. The headline figure is taper up to 30° per 100 mm, and the rest of the page explains what it means in daily use.
In practice the difficulty is rarely the nominal size. ±0.005 mm is held on the features that locate the part in the assembly, and the process is set up so that the first piece and the five hundredth measure the same way.
Specification
| Process | Wire electrical discharge cutting with skim passes for finish and taper |
|---|---|
| Material / configuration | 0.2 mm wire and fine finishing circuits |
| Size / capacity | taper up to 30° per 100 mm |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm |
| Surface finish | wire-cut finish, Ra 0.2–1.6 µm |
| Application | sinker edm machine for aerospace suppliers |
| Inspection | Dimensional report, material certificate, first article report on request |
| Lead time | 7–15 working days for samples, 3–4 weeks for production |
| Minimum order | 1 piece for prototypes, from 50 pieces for production pricing |
Manufacturing process
Production begins with a drawing and material review. Stock is certified, the operation sequence is fixed, and wire electrical discharge cutting with skim passes for finish and taper is carried out on equipment maintained to hold ±0.005 mm over a full shift, not just on a first piece.
Material is purchased against a certificate and checked on receipt, so the composition is known before any cutting starts. Work in progress is identified by part number and operation, and the finished parts are deburred, cleaned and protected before they leave the machine area.
Typical applications
Most of the work supplied in this category falls into the following examples.
- Hardened mould inserts and die sections.
- Carbide punch and die profiles.
- Aerospace turbine slot features.
- Medical cutting instruments.
- Gear and spline prototypes.
Quality control and documentation
Inspection is not a final formality. Dimensions are checked during the cycle and again at the end, so drift is corrected while there is still stock to remove.
Material certificates to EN 10204 3.1, dimensional reports and first article inspection reports are issued with the shipment where the application requires them. Calibration dates and measurement uncertainty are recorded alongside every result.
Ordering, lead time and packaging
Orders start from a single piece. Samples are quoted from the 3D model, and production pricing follows once quantity, finishing and inspection are agreed.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is wire EDM compared with milling?
Wire EDM holds profile accuracy around ±0.005 mm with no cutting force on the part, and it produces internal corners limited only by the wire radius, typically 0.15 mm.
Can hardened material be machined directly?
Yes. Material at 60 HRC and above is routinely cut after heat treatment, which removes the distortion that would otherwise be introduced by hardening after machining.
What is the minimum order quantity?
One piece for prototypes and first article work. Production pricing usually starts at 50 pieces, and repeat orders run on fixtures retained from the first batch at no extra charge.
Send the drawing or the 3D model for a quotation. Include material, quantity, tolerance and finish, and a detailed quote with lead time is returned within one working day.
