MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURING USING CNC WIRE EDM

CNC Wire EDM utilizes a fine, electrically charged metal wire usually made of brass, to cut through the work piece while submerged in a tank of deionized water. The moving wire erodes any conductive material that is within .0005” of its path, while the deionized water cools and flushes away debris from the cut. The wire is constantly fed from a spool and is held between upper and lower diamond guides. The guides are CNC-controlled and move in the x–y plane, and the upper guide can also move independently in the z–u–v axis, giving the ability to cut tapered and transitioning shapes (e.g., circle on the bottom, square at the top). With multiple axis movement capability, CNC Wire EDM can be programmed to cut very intricate and delicate shapes.