[makbari]

Hi Guys,
is it possible to wire cut Aluminum 6061 by WEDM machine or not?
and how fast could be wire cut?
Thanks

[KilrB]

Yes.

If it conducts electricity, it can be cut with EDM.

Cutting speed is dependent on wire size, material density, material quality, material thickness, and complexity of the cut.

"Good" aluminum will cut fairly fast.

"Bad" aluminum may not cut at all due to non-conductive inclusions.

Anodized aluminum cannot be cut as the anodize is non-conductive.

It is rare to find material with a lot of non-conductive trash in it, but it does happen.

[Othatvideo]

We had a Mits 90H machine that would dependably cut at 50sq. inches per hour plus using .010" standard brass wire on typical 1" thick material that had decently prepared top and bottom surfaces. Aluminum is very conductive / hence the fast rates. THE problem is that aluminum is teribly dirty and will plug your water filters in a hurry. If you must cut aluminum, then try to plan burning it at the end of your water filters lifespan.

[makbari]

We had a Mits 90H machine that would dependably cut at 50sq. inches per hour plus using .010" standard brass wire on typical 1" thick material that had decently prepared top and bottom surfaces. Aluminum is very conductive / hence the fast rates. THE problem is that aluminum is teribly dirty and will plug your water filters in a hurry. If you must cut aluminum, then try to plan burning it at the end of your water filters lifespan.

thank you for good info

[Medm]

I recently mowed through some aluminum and have some suggestions.

Aluminum is highly conductive and thus can be cut very rapidly. I mowed through a 2inch block of aluminum, creating a fairly complex shape, at a feedrate of around 0.200in/minute without even pushing the machine (20% override on G95).

That said, aluminum is tricky to cut because if you have your voltage set too high, the pulses of electricity have no problem eating away the material, but the machine will pulse too infrequently to continue cutting. Aluminum oxide will form on the cutting surface if left too long between pulses of voltage and you will not be able to get through that easily. So my suggestion is to lower the voltage, significantly, and increase the on-to-off ratio. This will allow the machine to continue pulsing, at the lower voltage, and thus cut continuously.

I hope this helps...

[mossy123]

That would make sense Medm as i know that the rapid oxidisation is the reason for use of AC whilest tig welding though i would never have thought to apply this to EDM!
Little snippets like that are invaluble, cheers.