Electrical Discharge Machining - Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages and Disadvantages

Some of the advantages of EDM include machining of:

• Complex shapes that would otherwise be difficult to produce with conventional cutting tools
• Extremely hard material to very close tolerances
• Very small work pieces where conventional cutting tools may damage the part from excess cutting tool pressure.
• There is no direct contact between tool and work piece. Therefore delicate sections and weak materials can be machined without any distortion.
• A good surface finish can be obtained.
• Very fine holes can be easily drilled.

Some of the disadvantages of EDM include:

• The slow rate of material removal.
• The additional time and cost used for creating electrodes for ram/sinker EDM.
• Reproducing sharp corners on the workpiece is difficult due to electrode wear.
• Specific power consumption is very high.
• Power consumption is high.
• "Overcut" is formed.
• Excessive tool wear occurs during machining.
• Electrically non-conductive materials can be machined only with specific set-up of the process.