Our general machine shop is fitted with lathe and milling facilities, as well as portable EDM Spark Erosion. Our Electrical Discharge Spark Eroding Machine allows us to remove broken taps and studs without any heat damage to the workpiece.
Stud Disintegration – How It Works :- Using brass electrodes, the machine becomes a high energy, low voltage, thermal shock producing source. The electrode in the machine vibrates 3,600 times each minute. Each time the electrode touches the piece to be burned, an arc is struck. The arc has a point of contact temperature of approximately 5,300 degrees Fahrenheit, liberating a small piece of the material with each arc. A constant supply of fresh water is pumped to the electrode, causing the molten metal to thermally break down and release while also flushing the liberated metal back out the discharge hole. The discharged pieces are normally less than 10 microns in size (less than a grain of sand). The water also acts as a heat exchanger, i.e. the only portion to get hot is the small area that the tip of the electrode contacts, unlike drilling where heat from the bit transfers to the surrounding material. The EDM maintains everything at ambient temperature, except what needs to be removed. On average, the EDM is about 40% faster than conventional drilling, and even broken taps or glazed or hardened studs or bolts are removed with no problem with the EDM.