EDM
Sinker EDM for blind pockets and ribs.
EDMGlossary
What Is Wire EDM? Injection Molding Explained
Wire EDM uses a traveling wire to cut through hardened mold steel along a programmed path.
Glossary
Wire EDM cuts steel with a moving wire electrode through the workpiece
Insert outlines, extrusion shapes, and deep slots are common mold applications.
Wire EDM feeds a thin wire through hardened steel while sparks erode material along the programmed path. It excels at through pockets and sharp internal corners after heat treat.
Start and stop marks may appear where wire entry and exit are visible unless process hides them on shutoffs.
Wire paths often run before assembly when inserts must slide together with tight clearance.
Tooling
Typical wire EDM jobs on production molds
These features show up on mold build plans, not on part drawings alone.
- Cutting insert periphery after heat treat for precise fit in pockets
- Deep narrow slots that would weaken steel if only milled
- Extrusion style cores where wire path follows a constant profile
Review
Drawing notes that affect wire EDM time
Tight tolerances here move schedule and cost.
Insert clearance and shutoff length on sliding actions
Minimum internal corner radius tied to wire diameter
Whether wire entry marks must land on non cosmetic shutoff
Parallelism needs after wire cut on mating inserts
Go deeper
Where this term connects
Each link is a different angle on the same program, not a duplicate definition.
Impact resistant tool steel
Inserts that wire cut then assemble into plates.
Impact resistant tool steelMold base
Plates that receive wire cut inserts.
Mold baseVisual reference
Photos from molding and tooling programs
Images are selected from the NetProto Forge media library for this topic.
Injection molded production parts on a tray
Injection molded production parts on a tray
Engineer reviewing a molded part drawing
Engineer reviewing a molded part drawing
Plastic housing components from a steel tool
Plastic housing components from a steel tool
FAQ
Wire EDM questions
Is wire EDM the same as sinker EDM?
Wire uses a moving wire for through cuts. Sinker EDM uses shaped electrodes for blind details.
Does wire EDM replace milling entirely?
No. Most tools mix milling, grinding, EDM, and polish steps.
Can wire marks appear on the plastic part?
Only if the mark lands on forming steel that touches the part surface.
Next step
Quote tooling with complex inserts
Upload CAD when tight insert fit or deep slots drive mold build scope.