A method for controlling a wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process, in which the wire traveling speed V.sub.W is adapted in-process, while cutting. The method for controlling a wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process according the invention includes adapting the wire traveling speed in-process, wherein the method comprises the steps of: determining the position of each discharge along the engagement line of a wire and a work piece; determining the size of a crater provoked at the wire by each discharge; creating a real time wire wearing model based on the position of each discharge along the engagement line of the wire and the work piece, and based on the size of the crater occurring at each said determined position of each discharge along the engagement line of a wire and a work piece, and based on the current wire traveling speed; and continuously comparing the wire wearing model with one or more wire wearing limits, and adjusting the wire traveling speed according to the comparison of the actual wire wearing model and the one or more wire wearing limits. The wire electrical discharge machining process is conducted with reduced wire consumption, safely, efficiently and profitably.

The present disclosure discloses a device and a method for forming a metal plate by using a high-energy electric pulse to drive an energetic material. The device includes high-energy pulse discharge equipment, an intelligent robot arm control system, a vacuum pumping device, a hydraulic press, a forming die, positive and negative electrodes, an energetic rod, and liquid supply equipment. According to the present disclosure, energy of a metal wire is added to energy of an energetic material after energy release to implement high-rate forming of the plate. A discharge voltage of the high-energy pulse discharge equipment is reduced and a service life thereof is prolonged. The discharge equipment is triggered by the manufactured small-size electric pulse metal wire, thereby reducing a volume and costs of the equipment and miniaturizing the equipment to implement precise operating, forming, and intelligent integration with the robot arm control system.

A contact detection unit, after executing a first detection operation of contact between the wire electrode and the workpiece at a first relative movement speed and a first pulse cycle, executes a second detection operation of contact between the wire electrode and the workpiece, at a second relative movement speed which is slower than the first relative movement speed, and at a second pulse cycle which is longer than the first pulse cycle, and a movement speed control unit, after execution of the first detection operation, and prior to execution of the second detection operation, causes the wire electrode and the workpiece to relatively move in a distancing direction.

An electrical machining method comprises machining a workpiece by an electrical machining device comprising an electrode; increasing a feedrate of the electrode at a first acceleration if a discharge current passing through the electrode and the workpiece is lower than a discharge current reference; and decreasing the feedrate of the electrode at a second acceleration if the discharge current is higher than the discharge current reference, wherein the second acceleration has an absolute value higher than that of the first acceleration.

A wire electrical discharge machine includes: a multiple number of switching elements connected in parallel with each other and configured to supply the machining current to the electrode gap to perform electrical discharge machining; a multiple number of switches each connected in series with the associated one of the multiple switching elements and configured to cut off each of the multiple switching elements; and a control device configured to perform control when at least one of the multiple switching elements fails so as to disconnect the failed switching elements by means of the associated switches and also change the machining conditions in accordance with the number of the failed switching elements.

A wire electrical discharge machine includes: a multiple number of switching elements connected in parallel with each other and configured to supply the machining current to the electrode gap to perform electrical discharge machining; a multiple number of switches each connected in series with the associated one of the multiple switching elements and configured to cut off each of the multiple switching elements; and a control device configured to perform control when at least one of the multiple switching elements fails so as to disconnect the failed switching elements by means of the associated switches and also change the machining conditions in accordance with the number of the failed switching elements.

A wire electrical discharge machine includes a wire feeding hole position acquisition unit configured to obtain a position of a wire feeding hole that allows for insertion and feeding of a wire electrode. In this wire electrical discharge machine, when the position of the wire feeding hole obtained by the wire feeding hole position acquisition unit is deviated from a wire feeding position defined by a machining program, a wire feeding control unit controls a machine main body to move the wire electrode to the position of the wire feeding hole and feed the wire electrode there, and a machining control unit controls the machine main body to perform electrical discharge machining on a workpiece with the wire electrode while moving the wire electrode on a path segment between a position where the wire electrode has been fed and the wire feeding position defined by the machining program.

An electrical discharge machining (EDM) electrodes and associated methods are provided. An EDM electrode includes a holder rotatable about a rotation axis and a plurality of electrode elements attached to the holder and circumferentially arranged around the rotation axis. Respective positions of the electrode elements are radially adjustable relative to the rotation axis.

A method of yielding a thinner product wafer from a thicker base SiC wafer cut from a SiC ingot includes: supporting the base SiC wafer with a support substrate: and while the base SiC wafer is supported by the support substrate, cutting through the base SiC wafer in a direction parallel to a first main surface of the base SiC wafer using a wire as part of a wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process, to separate the product wafer from the base SiC wafer, the product wafer being attached to the support substrate when cut from the base SiC wafer.

This wire electric discharge machine includes a servo controller which controls the relative speeds of wire electrodes to a workpiece according to a machining condition; a machining current control unit which controls discharge energy generated between the electrodes; and a machining condition setting unit which sets, as a first condition, the machining condition when approaching a machining end face, and, as a second machining condition, the machining condition when a movement distance of the wire electrode with respect to the workpiece reaches a prescribed distance, after the number of times discharge is determined to occur between the electrodes reaches a prescribed number of times within a unit time.