A method for the monitoring of a wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process, the method comprising the steps of: setting a unit observation length for the signal acquisition, continuously acquiring at least one process signal which is representative of an amount of material removed by at least one discharge and the position (X;Y) of said at least one discharge, and determining, based on said at least one process signal and one or more properties of a current machining, a cumulated amount of material removed per unit observation length along a machining path, including amounts of material removed by travelling in a forward cutting direction and amounts of material removed by travelling in a reverse cutting direction.

A wire electrical discharge machine performs electrical discharge machining on a workpiece by applying voltage across an electrode gap formed between a wire electrode and the workpiece to thereby generate electrical discharge while moving the wire electrode relative to the workpiece along a path specified by a machining program. The wire electrical discharge machine includes: a voltage detector for detecting a gap voltage across the gap; a facing area calculation unit for calculating, as a facing area, the area of a surface of the workpiece contained within a predetermined distance from the center axis of the wire electrode; an axis feed rate determination unit for determining an axis feed rate based on the gap voltage value detected by the voltage detector, and the facing area; and a movement control unit for performing control so that the wire electrode moves relative to the workpiece at the axis feed rate.

A wire electrical discharge machine performs electrical discharge machining on a workpiece by applying voltage across an electrode gap formed between a wire electrode and the workpiece to thereby generate electrical discharge while moving the wire electrode relative to the workpiece along a path specified by a machining program. The wire electrical discharge machine includes: a voltage detector for detecting a gap voltage across the gap; a facing area calculation unit for calculating, as a facing area, the area of a surface of the workpiece contained within a predetermined distance from the center axis of the wire electrode; an axis feed rate determination unit for determining an axis feed rate based on the gap voltage value detected by the voltage detector, and the facing area; and a movement control unit for performing control so that the wire electrode moves relative to the workpiece at the axis feed rate.

A wire electrical discharge machine includes: a drive control unit for moving a wire electrode relative to a workpiece along a machining path; a path determination unit for determining whether or not the machining path includes a linear path section that crosses a boundary line between a thick portion and a thin portion of the workpiece; and a path compensator for compensating the machining path so as to form, in the thin portion, a protrusion projecting outward from the boundary line when the path determination unit determines that the linear path section is included.

A wire electrical discharge machine is configured to perform removal machining of a workpiece by applying a voltage to a machining gap between a wire electrode and the workpiece through a feeder to generate electrical discharge and is provided with a feeder deterioration detection unit configured to detect deterioration of the feeder. The feeder deterioration detection unit includes a detection unit configured to detect a machining current value during the machining and a detection unit configured to detect the number of electrical discharges during the machining.

A dielectric working fluid processor for processing dielectric working fluid used in a wire electrical discharge machine includes: a dirty liquid tank for storing dielectric working fluid containing machining swarf; a filter for removing machining swarf from the dielectric working fluid in the dirty liquid tank; a clean liquid tank for storing the dielectric working fluid from which the machining swarf has been removed by the filter; a pump for supplying dielectric working fluid from the dirty liquid tank to the filter; an inverter for controlling electric power to be supplied to the pump; a pump controller for controlling the rotation speed of the pump by varying the frequency of electric power supplied from the inverter to the pump; and a feed pressure obtainer for obtaining the feed pressure of the dielectric working fluid supplied from the pump to the filter, based on the frequency of the electric power.

A dielectric working fluid processor for processing dielectric working fluid used in a wire electrical discharge machine includes: a dirty liquid tank for storing dielectric working fluid containing machining swarf; a filter for removing machining swarf from the dielectric working fluid in the dirty liquid tank; a clean liquid tank for storing the dielectric working fluid from which the machining swarf has been removed by the filter; a pump for supplying dielectric working fluid from the dirty liquid tank to the filter; an inverter for controlling electric power to be supplied to the pump; a pump controller for controlling the rotation speed of the pump by varying the frequency of electric power supplied from the inverter to the pump; and a feed pressure obtainer for obtaining the feed pressure of the dielectric working fluid supplied from the pump to the filter, based on the frequency of the electric power.

A welding or additive manufacturing wire drive system includes a first drive roll and a second drive roll. One or both of the drive rolls has a circumferential groove for simultaneously driving both of a first wire electrode and a second wire electrode located between the drive rolls in the circumferential groove. A sensor device generates a signal or data corresponding to a consumed or remaining amount of one or both of the wire electrodes. The first wire electrode contacts the second wire electrode within the circumferential groove. The first wire electrode further contacts a first sidewall portion of the circumferential groove. The second wire electrode further contacts a second sidewall portion of the circumferential groove. Both of the wire electrodes are offset from a base portion of the circumferential groove, said base portion extending between the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion of the circumferential groove.

A welding or additive manufacturing wire drive system includes a first drive roll and a second drive roll. One or both of the drive rolls has a circumferential groove for simultaneously driving both of a first wire electrode and a second wire electrode located between the drive rolls in the circumferential groove. A sensor device generates a signal or data corresponding to a consumed or remaining amount of one or both of the wire electrodes. The first wire electrode contacts the second wire electrode within the circumferential groove. The first wire electrode further contacts a first sidewall portion of the circumferential groove. The second wire electrode further contacts a second sidewall portion of the circumferential groove. Both of the wire electrodes are offset from a base portion of the circumferential groove, said base portion extending between the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion of the circumferential groove.

A welding rod assembly has a seat, a chuck, and a welding rod. The chuck has a socket for the welding rod. The seat has a passageway having an inlet and an outlet, and a fluid conduit through the seat. The apparatus that has a power supply having a main control unit, and a welding electrode. It has synthetic discharge signal generator programmed to produce DC discharges as output electrical signals from said power supply. Each discharge has a voltage, charge, starting time and polarity. The discharges defines a synthetic AC output. It has an output polarity reversing switch. The apparatus includes three output terminals, a first of said output terminals being connected to said welding electrode, a second of said output terminals and a third of said output terminals having respective workpiece connections.