How Our Wire EDM Services Deliver Faster Parts at Lower Costs
Manufacturing isn’t like a multiple-choice test—there’s no one right answer. Instead, when a part comes across our desk at Area Tool & Manufacturing, we often realize there are multiple ways to produce it, and we’re left with a decision. And lately, we've found ourselves choosing wire EDM services more and more—in fact, it's now neck and neck with our CNC milling department for our shop’s output leader.
In the past, a typical workflow often started at milling, moved to other processes, and finally concluded at wire EDM. But we've shifted our thinking. Now, when we look at a traditionally "milled" part, we ask ourselves: "Could we just start this on the wire EDM?" By choosing wire EDM as our primary process, we're often able to significantly reduce lead times while maintaining precise tolerances.
Learn why wire EDM has become a go-to solution in our shop.
Our Advanced Wire EDM Equipment
We place a priority on advanced technology within our wire EDM department. We own Makino equipment, with both U3 and U6 machines available. Both of these machines offer the same cutting-edge capabilities, but they handle parts of differing sizes.
The U3 excels at the small parts that have been our historical focus, while the U6 accommodates bigger workpieces. We've seen growing demand for U6 projects as customers recognize our capability to handle larger wire EDM pieces with the same precision as smaller components.
Our shop also houses an EDM drill, which we employ primarily to create wire start holes more efficiently than traditional methods. In combination with our Makinos, we can effectively tackle a wide range of wire EDM projects.
Cost-Efficiency Through Our Wire EDM Services
Wire EDM's versatility extends beyond its ability to create geometries that are impossible through other methods. Our Makino machines are able to deliver high-quality surface finishes in very few passes, sometimes delivering an ideal finish in one or two passes when other wire EDM machines may need three or four. That saves significant production time for our customers, directly translating into lower part costs.
Surface finish is not the only source of part savings. We are able to run our wire EDM machines unattended for many parts, substantially reducing machine time rates. For many applications, wire EDM services have become significantly more cost-effective than traditional CNC precision machining.
Common Use Cases for Wire EDM
Wire EDM is well known as the only choice for many part geometries or features, such as complex contours. Some other important use cases include:
Post-heat treatment precision: When parts require both heat treating and tight tolerance features, pre-drilling holes before heat treatment becomes unreliable due to eventual material growth or shrinkage. Wire EDM, by contrast, allows precise features to be cut to exact tolerances in heat-treated material.
Pre-hardened material efficiency: We maintain an inventory of pre-hardened materials, and when a part comes in that needs both forming and through holes, we can take the appropriate hardened stock and complete the entire job on the wire EDM—especially valuable for lead times if our milling department has no capacity.
Talk to Us About Our Wire EDM Services
Our wire EDM capabilities are a staple of our operations, delivering superior quality, competitive costs, and reduced lead times. We can efficiently process any conductive material to deliver precise tolerances.
Of course, wire EDM is only one path a part can take through our shop. Whether you need CNC machining, Cerakote coating services, or sinker EDM, we’re ready to deliver exceptional results for your next project.
Request a quote today to learn how our wire EDM services can optimize your next project!
