ELECTRIC DISCHARGE

MACHINE
(EDM)

PRESENTED BY
AMIT JOSHI
SUDEEP KUMAR
&
CHANDRAVEER SINGH

INTRODUCTION

Electric Discharge Machine (EDM) is

machine used for unconventional
machining of work piece with a very high
degree of accuracy and precision.
Here the process of metal removal is
done by a controlled erosion through a
series of electric sparks.
It was first started in the USSR around
1943.

Working Principle

When a discharge takes place between two

points of the anode and the cathode, the intense
heat generated near the zone melts and
evaporates the materials in the sparking zone.
For improving the effectiveness, the workpiece
and the tool are submerged in a dielectric fluid
(hydrocarbon or mineral oil like kerosene).
A suitable gap, known as the spark gap, is
maintained between the tool and the workpiece
surfaces. The sparks are made to discharge at a
high frequency with a suitable source.

Mechanism of EDM

Due to asperities and irregularities which are always there

in between the surface, local gap varies and at a given
point it is minimum at one point (let it be A)
When a suitable voltage is built up across the tool and the
workpiece (cathode and anode), an electrostatic field of
sufficient strength is established, causing cold emission of
electrons from the cathode at point A to accelerate
towards anode.
After gaining sufficient velocity these electrons collide with
molecules of dielectric fluid, breaking them into electrons
and positive ions, thus forming a narrow column of ionized
dielectric fluid molecules at point A. Thus a avalanche of
electrons is formed causing a clearly visible spark.
to be contd.

EDM Mechanism continues

A comression shock wave is formed due to this

spark and a very high temperature is developed
on the electrodes (10,000 to 12,000 C ).
This high temperature causes melting and
vaporization of the electrode materials and the
molten metal is evacuated with the mechanical
blast, resulting in a small craters on both the
electrodes at A causing the gap at A to increase
and next shortest gap is somewhere else.
In this way the sparks wander all over the
electrode surface and ultimately process results
in a uniform gap.
So depending upon negative electrode shape an

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