A wire electrical discharge machining apparatus includes: multiple main rollers around which a wire winds in parallel; multiple workpiece feeding units for feeding the workpiece toward the wire; a machining power supply unit for supplying a machining voltage to the workpiece; and a power supply terminal for supplying the machining voltage to the wire. The multiple workpiece feeding units are respectively arranged at a first position for feeding the workpiece toward a wire portion having a wire plane of the wire and a second position for feeding another workpiece toward another wire portion having another wire plane of the wire. The power supply terminal is arranged at a third position between the first position and the second position. The machining voltage supplied from the single machining power supply unit is supplied to the workpieces to be electrically discharge machined by the multiple workpiece feeding units.

A wire machining method includes: a wire electrode set as cutting wires provided in parallel with a distance between the cutting wires of which a predetermined regional part faces a workpiece; a machining power source that generates a pulse-shaped machining voltage; and plural feeder units that are electrically connected to the plural cutting wires respectively of the wire electrode and supply the machining voltage between the cutting wires and the workpiece respectively. In the parallel cutting wires, the feeder units are arranged such that a direction of a current passed to at least a part of the cutting wires becomes a direction different from a direction of a current passed to other cutting wires.

A mechanism in a wire electrical discharge machining apparatus for machining a workpiece by electrical discharge between a wire and the workpiece is disclosed. The mechanism includes a processing fluid bath configured to store processing fluid used for electrical discharge machining between the workpiece and the wire, a processing fluid supply port to communicate with the processing fluid bath and supply the processing fluid into the processing fluid bath from a processing fluid supply apparatus supplying the processing fluid, and a stream control mechanism to suppress a stream of the processing fluid supplied from the processing fluid supply port into the processing fluid bath in the direction of the water surface of the processing fluid in the processing fluid bath.

The invention relates to an electrode holder (1, 2, 14) for the multichannel electrical discharge machining in electrical discharge machines. It comprises a holding element (17), a central body (15) and an electrode mounting section (19). According to the invention, the electrode mounting section (19) includes at least two clamping sections (22) for clamping electrodes (9, 10), wherein each clamping section (22) is connected, preferably via a current feeder section (21), with an own current supplying circuit (20) leading from the periphery of the electrode holder (1, 2, 14) to the respective electrode clamping section (22). The current supply circuits (20) are electrically isolated from each other by one or more insulating elements (8, 12, 25, 26, 30). Preferably the current supplying circuits (20) are allocated in or at the central body (15) of the electrode holder (1, 2, 14).

An electrical discharge machining (EDM) system according to embodiments includes: a guide structure; a plurality of electrode devices positioned at least partially within the guide structure, the plurality of electrode devices aligned to provide a plurality of electrical discharges to a workpiece, each of the plurality of electrode devices including: an electrode for positioning proximate the workpiece; an electrode holder coupled to the electrode for holding the electrode proximate the workpiece; and a driver coupled to the electrode holder, the driver adapted to modify a position of the electrode holder and the electrode; and a control system operably connected with the driver, the control system configured to provide instructions to the driver of at least one of the plurality of electrode devices to modify a position of the at least one of the plurality of electrodes independently of at least one other one of the plurality of electrodes.

An electrical discharge machining (EDM) system, control system and related methods. Various embodiments include a control system for controlling a plurality of electrode devices in an EDM system to form holes in a workpiece. The control system can be configured to perform a process including: initiating a hole formation program for each of the plurality of electrode devices; determining whether at least one electrode has completed formation of a corresponding hole in the workpiece; and separating the at least one electrode from the workpiece in response to determining that the at least one electrode has completed formation of the corresponding hole.

A method of polishing a surface of an object disposed within a gas chamber is provided. The method includes filling the gas chamber with a discharging medium to a predefined pressure, applying a voltage between an electrode and the surface, calibrating a height of the electrode relative to the surface so as to establish electrical breakdown threshold criteria, and scanning the electrode with respect to the surface so as to sequentially position the electrode over a plurality of locations on the surface, each location characterized by a surface error. When a respective location in the plurality of locations has a surface error that meets the electrical breakdown threshold criteria, electrical breakdown occurs, whereby the electrical breakdown results in a discharging pulse that polishes the surface.

A multiwire electric discharge machine includes: a plurality of guide rollers; a machining power supply that applies a voltage between each of a plurality of cutting wire sections and a workpiece; a dummy workpiece including a contact surface curved in such a way as to be capable of coming into contact with a curved surface of the workpiece except for an end point, the end point being to be reached by each of the plurality of cutting wire sections when machining of the workpiece is completed, the dummy workpiece supporting the workpiece from one side in a first direction, the first direction being a direction in which the workpiece moves; and a pressing mechanism including a pressing portion, the pressing mechanism pressing the workpiece against the dummy workpiece by bringing the pressing portion into contact with the workpiece from another side in the first direction.

A power delivery and control system for an EOT machine. The system has component assemblies assembled in a densely packed array. Each component assembly including one or a sub-set of a power delivery system and a servo-controller to control a servomotor assembly linked to, and orientated coaxially with, an electrode.

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.