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The Official Website of the State of West Virginia

EDM technology delivers extreme precision

1/10/2022

Electricity and water never mix, right?
Actually, in certain manufacturing settings, the two diametrically opposed forces converge to create the perfect environment for cutting and shaping complex metal components.

The EDM – Electrical Discharge Machining – technology available for leased use at the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) Advanced Manufacturing Center in Huntington uses a thin metal wire (typically brass) to conduct electricity underwater to the raw material being machined. The wire doesn’t actually do the cutting but releases pulses of electricity to shape the metal. The deionized water is non-conductive, instead serving as an insulator and means for flushing away debris.

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