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The benefits of the Electrical discharge sawing machine (EDS).

EDS machine in our client's factory

Electrical discharge sawing machine (EDS) is the best solution for the special steel alloy cutting, high temperature alloys cutting, heat-resistant alloys cutting, high chromium cutting, high nickel alloy cutting, and titanium alloy cutting.

With EDS, our clients can get the following benefits:

1. Our clients can get more valuable order of cutting special hardened air space materials. Because it can cut any hardened high temperature heat resistance alloy steel (like aero plane engines material, etc) that the band saw cannot cut.

2. Our clients can save the cutting time. Because its cutting speed is 2 time higher than the band saw for special hardened steel (Max cutting speed: 2300mm2/min)

3. Our clients can save the cutting tools cost. Because EDS machine cutting tool is Mild steel sheet (Its unit cost is less than 2 USD, comparing the band saw blade cost: 300USD-500USD/piece);

4. Our clients can save the work piece material cost. Because the EDS cutting path is around 2mm. As you know, the special steel cost is very higher; the smaller is the cutting path, the more material cost you can save 

If you do have a lot of larger hardened material to cut, the EDS is the best choice for you to replace the band saw machine.

To help you to understand EDS, I compare EDS with Wire EDM and band saw machines as following:

1. Comparison between EDS and Wire EDM

You know wire EDM very well, right?

Electric discharge machining (EDM), sometimes colloquially also referred to as spark machining, spark eroding, burning, die sinking, wire burning or wire erosion, is a manufacturing process whereby a desired shape is obtained using electrical discharges (sparks). Material is removed from the work piece by a series of rapidly recurring current discharges between two electrodes, separated by a dielectric liquid and subject to an electric voltage. One of the electrodes is called the tool-electrode, or simply the ‘tool’ or ‘electrode’, while the other is called the work piece-electrode, or ‘work piece’.

When the distance between the two electrodes is reduced, the intensity of the electric field in the volume between the electrodes becomes greater than the strength of the dielectric (at least in some point(s)), which breaks, allowing current to flow between the two electrodes. This phenomenon is the same as the breakdown of a capacitor (condenser) (see also breakdown voltage). As a result, material is removed from both the electrodes. Once the current flow stops (or it is stopped – depending on the type of generator), new liquid dielectric is usually conveyed into the inter-electrode volume enabling the solid particles (debris) to be carried away and the insulating properties of the dielectric to be restored. Adding new liquid dielectric in the inter-electrode volume is commonly referred to as flushing. Also, after a current flow, a difference of potential between the two electrodes is restored to what it was before the breakdown, so that a new liquid dielectric breakdown can occur.

The EDS and wire EDM are the same working theory, just the electrode is different: on EDS, the electrode is the mild steel blade(0.7～1.2mm thick x 25-40mm wide), on wire EDM, it is brass wire /molybdenum wire( dia0.25/0.3mm-0.18mm).

Because the mild steel blade is much larger and stronger than the brass/molybdenum wire, it can bear a much larger electrical discharging power during working. As you may know, the larger is machining current, the higher cutting speed for EDM machines. That is why EDS can cut the hardened metal material with a much higher cutting speed (the max cutting speed: 2300mm2/min).

2. Comparison between EDS and band saw.

EDS looks like band saw machine, so we call it Electrical discharging saw machine here. But the working theory is different from the band saw machine. The mild steel is non-contact to the material during cutting, spark eroding or burning the metal work piece on EDS machine. However, the band saw removes the workpiece by cutting.

For any more information about EDS machines, please feel free to contact us.

Have a nice day.

EDM workpiece

ESR ingot is cut with EDS machine