CNC EDM

RS Precision, a pioneer in EDM since 1960

RS Precision has taken the skillful application of EDM technology and EDM machining to new heights, delivering your most challenging complex machined parts reliably and cost- effectively. With more than 15 EDM machines–covering the full range of EDM services including Wire EDM, CNC Sinker EDM, Micro-Hole EDM and Hole Popper EDM–we possess the skills and experience to satisfy your most demanding requirements.

EDM is a non-traditional machining process that uses hundreds of thousands of minute electrical sparks per second to precisely machine any conductive material, no matter how hard or delicate it is. Freed from the constraints of traditional machining processes, in which material is removed mechanically by either rotating the cutting tool or the workpiece, EDM allows a much greater range of design possibilities. Shapes that are impossible to machine by any other method, such as deep, precision, square holes and slots with sharp inside corners, are readily produced.

EDM excels at ultra-precision machining. It provides accurate geometries in high- aspect ratio holes and slots, blind undercuts, small holes adjacent to deep sidewalls, complex cuts in thin, fragile parts, and on and on. EDM is especially attractive in micro-machined details, where the cutting time is minimal, but precision and finesse are maximized.

RS Precision is your single source for complete parts as well as EDM secondary operations. With our complete machining capabilities, including CNC Milling, CNC Turning, CNC Grinding, 40 X Deburring, and extensive Engineering and Fixturing capabilities, no job is too tough for us.

Hole Popper (or Fast Hole) EDM. Practically scrap-free, hole popping is an incredibly efficient and reliable process that drills extremely small high-aspect ratio holes (up to 100:1) very quickly. While originally developed for start holes for Wire EDM, it is now commonly used in producing finished holes down to about .008” diameter.

MicroHole EDM. This is a more finessed cutting process which consistently produces ultra-precise holes as small as .001” diameter with very fine surface finishes and better roundness, while holding extremely close diameter tolerances (1-2 microns). This process is ideal when consistent metering orifice holes are required.

Wire EDM. An offshoot of conventional EDM, Wire EDM makes micro-precise shapes by utilizing a continuous traveling wire (running from top to bottom) which moves through the workpiece as directed by a CNC program. Often, Hole Popper EDM is used to create the start hole that makes it possible to thread the wire through the workpiece. Wire EDM can produce complex and intricate through features in delicate or difficult-to-machine materials which are two- to three-dimensional. Many medical devices contain fragile plastic parts that are extruded from dies made with Wire EDM. The process is accurate to +/- .0001” and is burr-free.

CNC Sinker EDM. Sinker EDM uses specifically shaped electrodes which are “sunk” into the workpiece in an automated and controlled manner by thousands of electrical sparks per second, each of which melts away a tiny amount of workpiece material. Unlike Hole Popper and Wire EDM, Sinker EDM is inherently a 3D process capable of producing blind cavities. The process is an excellent problem-solving tool for features and configurations that are difficult or impossible to produce using conventional machining processes. Medical parts often demand such configurations, especially in optical and orthopedic surgical instruments and assemblies.