EDM questions

Hi, I am new to the group and new to EDM. I recently purchased an ONA IN260 die sinking EDM machine. I have no experience on EDM, therefore have to learn from the beginning. Aslo please excuse the stupid questions. All help will be most appreciated.

My first stupid question is: How do you bond/fix the electrode to the fixture that fits in the tool holder of the machine.

Any info on EDM which might help me will be very welcome.

Theo

Reply to
theom
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What kind of holder do you have?

I usually don't use glue. I had a bad experience many years ago where the glue kept me from making an electrical connection. I know many other people do with good successes though. Small electrodes are held in place with a set screw, and large ones are bolted to a plate. The process of raising the electrode up and down to help flush the part can produce a lot of suction. Make sure you have plenty of threads holding your graphite.

Did you get the machine new? Any training come with it? I'm not familiar with that machine. Is it a CNC? Do you understand spark gap (electrode reduction)?

Reply to
Dave Lyon

I have an EDM as a hobby. Without a good manual of operation for your machine you're in deep do. My machine has as many dials and switches as a

747. I've learned to run the machine, but never gotten good at it. Its easy to burn a shape. But to do it with a tight tolerance and not burn your electrode up is a different matter.

I bought a book on how to EDM from one of the machine tool catalogs. Helped some, but scoring the manual for my machine was the key.

There's a fellow named Ed Huntress that has forgot more about EDM than I know. He used to be a regular, haven't seen him for a while.

To your question, I've used epoxy adhesive to bond a metal plate to the carbon. Never seen a reccomendation from a pro on what to use. My machine comes with the copper electrode option, I prefer this for all small items.

Reply to
Karl Townsend

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