A wire electrical discharge machine for performing electrical discharge machining on a workpiece to be machined by applying voltage to an electrode gap formed between a wire electrode and the workpiece to generate electrical discharge at the electrode gap under predetermined machining conditions while conveying the wire electrode along a transfer path, includes: a wire breakage detector for detecting a breakage of the wire electrode; a position calculator for calculating the breakage position of the wire electrode in the transfer path; and an adjustment unit for adjusting the machining conditions when the breakage position is in a predetermined section of the transfer path.

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.

The invention relates to a grinding and/or erosion machine (10), as well as to a method for gauging and referencing the axis arrangement (11) comprising several machine axes (12), wherein each can be configured as a rotational or translational machine axis. To do so, a measuring disk (28) is inserted in a tool spindle (13) and a test mandrel (27) is inserted in a workpiece holding device (14). The test mandrel (27) is electrically connected to a reference potential, preferably ground (M). The measuring disk (28) is electrically connected to a supply voltage potential (UV). By forming a contact between the measuring disk (28) and the test mandrel (27), a measuring current (IM) flows between the supply voltage potential (UV) and the reference potential and, in accordance with the example, from the supply voltage potential (UV) to ground (M). The flow of this measuring current (IM) may be detected in a monitoring device (31), and the actual position of the machine axes (12) at the time of the start of the current flow of the measuring current (IM) can be determined. Via the axis arrangement (11), one or more contact locations (K) between the measuring disk (28) and the test mandrel (27) can be approached, and, as a result of this, referencing or gauging of the axis arrangement (11) and the machine, respectively, can take place.

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.

A wire electrical discharge machine controls a second motor unit including motors for feeding a wire electrode in a wire running direction in which the wire electrode extends, so as to feed the wire electrode at a set feed rate during a machining period from a first time point at which the wire electrode moving relative to a workpiece in a direction intersecting the wire running direction is estimated to enter the workpiece, to a second time point at which the wire electrode is estimated to exit the workpiece. The second motor unit is controlled so as to feed the wire electrode at a feed rate lower than the set feed rate during at least one of a first non-machining period from a processing start time point to the first time point and a second non-machining period from the second time point to a processing end time point.

A wire electrical discharge machine includes: a detection unit configured to detect a contact state in which the wire electrode contacts the workpiece, and a contact release state in which the wire electrode that is in the contact state is separated from the workpiece; a vibration unit configured to, if the contact state is detected during the machining of the workpiece, stop relative movement of the wire electrode and vibrate the wire electrode about a stop position at which the relative movement of the wire electrode has been stopped; and a relative movement control unit configured to resume relative movement of the wire electrode if the contact release state is detected until a predetermined time elapses from when the contact state has been detected or until the number of times that the wire electrode is vibrated reaches a predetermined number of times.

A wire electrical discharge machine machines a workpiece so as to have different machined shapes on a top surface and a bottom surface of the workpiece. The wire electrical discharge machine includes: a distance measuring sensor for moving within a machining area of the wire electrical discharge machine and measuring a distance between the distance measuring sensor and an object to be measured; and a vertical position calculating unit for calculating a distance between a reference surface and the top surface and a distance between the reference surface and the bottom surface, from a distance between the reference surface and the distance measuring sensor, a distance between the top surface and the distance measuring sensor, and a distance between the bottom surface and the distance measuring sensor, measured by the distance measuring sensor.

A method includes producing a bulk substrate and beveling an edge of the bulk substrate using an electrical discharge machining (EDM) process and/or an electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process.

A wire electrical discharge machine includes: a travelling route formed of multiple divisional regions, through which a wire electrode is fed by an auto wire feeding mechanism; and a memory storing failure evaluation reference data on the auto wire feeding for every divisional region. The wire electrical discharge machine detects failure of the auto wire feeding and locate the tip position of the wire electrode at the time of failure and causes a controller to determine whether to perform or stop retry of the auto wire feeding based on the located tip position and the failure evaluation reference data for every divisional region.

A wire electrical discharge machine determines the position of an endface of a workpiece by relatively moving a wire electrode toward the workpiece. The wire electrical discharge machine includes: a voltage application control unit configured to continuously apply voltage pulses between the wire electrode and the workpiece; a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage between the wire electrode and the workpiece; a pulse occurrence ratio calculation unit configured to calculate a pulse occurrence ratio that is a ratio of the number of the voltage pulses detected by the voltage detection unit to the number of the voltage pulses applied per a predetermined time by the voltage application control unit; and an endface position determination unit configured to determine the position of the endface of the workpiece based on the pulse occurrence ratio.