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Author: Cam Forbes
Article:
Kennametal Inc. prides itself on quality products, competitive
prices, and on-time delivery. So when a European supplier missed
a shipment by weeks and customers bought materials elsewhere,
the...
How An Executive Can Spot Creative Potential in Others
One of the most important responsibilities any executive must
handle is seeing that his company gets "the most" from its
workers. This is particularly so when it comes to creativeness-
the production of the ideas upon which the company is...
How to Alienate Your On-Line Client Base In One Easy Step
From LAND OF ODDS
We at Land of Odds get many questions about what glue to use with rhinestones and other beading and jewelry-making projects. We're craftspersons and silversmiths, and we have a shop where we sell rhinestones, beads,...
Men's silver jewelry online today
The men's silver jewelry market has taken off in the past few years with men in the mainstream comfortably buying sterling adornments historically worn by Hollywood stars and athletes. From sterling silver pendants to chunky link necklaces and...
Using Investment to Supplement Savings
Using investment to supplement savings is becoming more
widespread. With the world becoming more and more unsure these
days, it seems that many more people are interested in building
a personal savings to ensure that they have a safety net...
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Wire EDM and the "Heat Affected Zone"
In Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (Wire EDM), the process
of tooling by using electricity to cut the materials, there is
an area that is known as the Heat Affected Zone. What this means
is that wherever the electrical wire passes to make the cut,
heat is a generated by-product of the electrical cut. The area
where the cut is made is known as the heat affected zone.
Within this heat affected zone, recast, a negative by-product of
this cutting and subsequent heat, can be observed. Essentially,
recast is the small amount of melted metal that is produced by
the cutting. Several factors decide just how much recast is
formed: the amount of power, the type of power used (be it AC or
DC power) and the number of passes or skims made to complete the
cut. Certainly, more slag or discarded material is created
depending upon the electrical current and higher temperatures
along with deeper cuts.
The negative side effect of having larger wire EDM heat affected
zones and more recast is that the machined object has the
potential for a loss of precision due to the recast created in
the heat affected zone. There is also a potential for scarring
of
material along with visual imperfections in the final product.
Older wire EDM machines had less precise electrical charges and
varying diameters of wires, which decreased the tolerances and
increased the wire EDM heat affected zone, thereby producing
more recast.
However, with the evolution and advancement of modern-day wire
EDM machines, plants are better capable of decreasing the
variance of electrical charge and of using better wires for
cutting. With less varying electrical charges, more precise
wires and better passes, and with machining being performed in
tubs of fluid, the temperatures are kept at lower and more even
levels. All this in turn allows for a more precise cut with less
recast created which turns out a much more desirable product.
Many shops, after implementing new methods and modern equipment
do not even produce recast material.
About the author:
Wire EDM Info provides
detailed information about wire EDM machines, machining, heat
affected zone, technology and more. Wire EDM Info is the sister
site of Metal Stamping
Web.
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