Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) is a machining method that is used for creating small, complex designs or narrow cavities in metal workpieces 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 workpiece, is reduced until an electrical discharge can occur across the gap. The resulting spark erodes, or ‘burns’, material away from the workpiece.
Autodesk Electrode enables you to:
All manufacturing data is transferred between the products 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 also export an EDM data-transfer file for easy transfer to third-party EDM machines. It creates a General Assembly (GA) setup 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.
Workpiece — The final product, represented by your CAD model, for which you want to create the electrode.
Burn region — The part of the electrode closest to the workpiece. The spark generated between these two objects burns material away from the workpiece.
Spark gap — The gap required between the electrode and the workpiece to generate a spark. This depends on the voltage applied to the electrode, and the conductivity of the workpiece material.
Blank — A user-specified or commercially available part from which the electrode is manufactured.
Base — Formed by the top part of the blank. Can include an integrated holder, called a base holder, or act as a point of attachment between the electrode and a separate holder.
Holder — Holds the electrode base. The holder can fit into the machine to manufacture the electrode (a machining holder), or the EDM machine (an EDM holder).
Vector-burn electrode — An electrode with an extraction vector that is not aligned to the Z axis.
Side-sparking electrode — An electrode with an extraction vector that is 90 degrees from the vertical. In other words, the electrode is extracted from the side of the workpiece.