Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) is a machining method that is used for creating small, complex designs or narrow cavities in metal products that would be impossible to cut using conventional tools.
An electrode is a specially designed tool used in EDM, which matches the shape of the desired cavity or design. They are typically made of copper or graphite, which are good electrical conductors, and gradually remove material from the product using electrical discharges, also known as sparks. These sparks are generated as the distance between the electrode, which has a large voltage applied to it, and the conductive product, is reduced until an electrical discharge can occur across the gap. The resulting spark erodes, or ‘burns’, material away from the product. For this reason, the part of the electrode in closest contact with the product is known as the burn region.
Electrode enables you to:
The Electrode Wizard:
All manufacturing data is transferred between the modes using the .trode file format. An Electrode Detail sheet is created when geometry is exported or used by PowerMill, which shows a view of the individual electrode with the wireframe outline of the stock material. It gives the details for machining the electrode. The sheet is automatically updated if you change the properties of the electrode.
Electrode can export an EDM data-transfer file for easy transfer to third party EDM machines. It also creates a GA sheet, which provides a top-down view of the model, with the electrode and holders positioned in the burn position. Balloons give the EDM machine details for each electrode. Values on the setup sheets are rounded to the general tolerance.