Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Wire EDM Power Supplies

oreminer2000 wrote:

>Listers,
>
>First time out.
>
>I want to build a simple, robust and cheap one axis Wire EDM machine
>to cut off hard materials like tool steel. A cut rate of 0.050
>inches / minute is fast enough for a 1/4-inch thick piece of stock.
>
>I'd like to know if anyone here knows what the power supplies are
>like on a typical small wire EDM machine. What is the waveform that
>is normally used? What are the Amps and Volts? I'll be using
>distilled or de-ionized water and the parts will be submerged.
>
>

This sounds exactly like the Robert Langlois wire EDM that was shown at
NAMES 2001,
and is now being serialized in Home Shop Machinist. He was using an RC
power supply of
an amp or two at about 30 Volts at the NAMES show. He may have
something more sophisticated
now, but the RC system seemed to work well for this purpose. He was
cutting thin wall tubes
with it. He used some Molybdenum wire, and makes multiple passes with it.

Jon