i remember years and years ago we had a similar problem with another plastic part, we used a part sprayed graphite on it and then plated over a layer of copper, this served as a EDM tool, problem was we had to make 3 of them because they wore out.
most EDMs i looked at have 3 parts, the machine itself, a power supply and a pump that circulates and filters the dielectric fluid, i havent seen a machine with a 50W supply, even the smallest ones are in the KW range, dont know why they use 3 phase , im not the guy who designed the machine, my guess is that it is better in large shops where you have numerous machines to distribute the load , i dont know !
check ebay under hansvedt, there is stuff out there, i have a 19x19ft two story shop, right now filled with the gear hobber, a large floor drill press, lathe, grinder and some work benches, what i really desire right now is a mill and a surface grinder
Chuck Harris <cfharris@...> wrote:
Hi Lothar,
The electrode could be something as fancy as a CNC made
graphite model, or it could be something as simple as
adding a little plating to the original plastic gear.
There is no intrinsic reason that an EDM machine should
need 3 phase power, the power requirements for one that
could handle a part this size are very modest... well under
50 watts.
I generate my own 3 phase in my shop. It is easy to do,
and all you need is a big 3 phase motor, and some simple
control components to get it started.
As John said, a silicone mold of the original gear would
be the easiest way.... Damn!.. I wanted an EDM machine.
-Chuck Harris
lothar baier wrote:
i was eyeballing a EDM for a bit but unfortunatly dont have enough floorspace right now, another problem is that most
EDMs require 3phase current which i dont have out here. There are some benchtop type hansved edms on ebay every once
in a while. Another issue it that you need to have a electrode that resembles the form of the gear made of graphite
or copper and usually those are CNC machined parts
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