Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] cheap edm tap buster?

electromodeler wrote:

>Hi group, I came across this page while browsing about. Seems do-able
>on a small budget, but are the electronics sound? It seems too simple.
>Perhaps someone with a bit more knowledge can check it out? web page
>is http://www.pico-systems.com/edm.html
>
>

Electronics? All there is is a rectifier. It IS too simple, and so it
is VERY slow.
Also, it requires a VERY fine feed, often achieved by leaning on the machine
(A Bridgeport mill in my case). But, for small taps, at least, it DOES
work. It can
take an hour or more to burn out one 6-32 or 4-40 tap, so it depends on
how much
work you have in the workpiece, or the value of the piece of metal.

A pulser system would speed up the metal removal a great deal. One of these
days, I really want to build one, but I don't burn out taps real often.
Also, there's
no closed-loop control of the electrode gap, so I had to babysit the
thing the whole
time.

Also, a flushing system with a hollow electrode would help a lot, I
think the lack
of flushing was a major deficiency in that setup.

Jon