Wire EDM Services
Wire EDM for hard alloys and complex profiles.
Argent offers aerospace wire EDM services for hardened tool steel, Inconel, Hastelloy, titanium, and refractory metals. Wire EDM uses a thin electrically charged wire to cut through conductive materials independent of hardness — the right answer for tight-tolerance through-cuts, complex profiles, and intricate geometries that conventional machining can't reach.
ITAR Pending · U.S. Suppliers Only · AS9100 Aligned · Seattle CNC Capacity
Process Overview
What wire EDM does that conventional machining can't.
Wire EDM (Wire Electrical Discharge Machining) cuts through conductive materials using a precisely controlled electrical discharge between a moving wire electrode (typically 0.004 to 0.012 inches in diameter) and the workpiece. The wire never touches the part — material is removed by spark erosion in a dielectric fluid bath, which means cutting force is essentially zero.
That single property opens up geometries and materials that conventional CNC machining cannot economically produce:
- Cuts hardened materials directly. Material hardness up to Rc 70 is no obstacle. Hardened tool steel, fully aged Inconel 718, Hastelloy — wire EDM cuts them at the same rate as mild steel.
- Holds tight tolerances. Positional tolerance of ±0.0002 in, surface finish to 16 microinch Ra, and inside corner radii down to the wire radius (0.002 in with the finest wire). Better than virtually any milled feature.
- Zero mechanical force. Thin walls, delicate features, and small parts don't deform during cutting because there is no cutting force.
- Sharp inside corners. The wire radius is the inside corner radius. No tool diameter limitation like in milling.
- Stack cutting. Multiple identical parts can be cut from a single stacked blank in one pass.
The tradeoff: wire EDM only cuts through. Blind cavities or 3D contours that don't pass all the way through the material require sinker EDM or conventional machining.
Capabilities
Aerospace wire EDM specifications.
Wire diameter
0.004 – 0.012 in
Brass and zinc-coated brass standard. Molybdenum wire for fine-detail work.
Material thickness
Up to 16 in
Production machines handle up to 16-inch stack height. Larger work routed to special-capacity partners.
Positional tolerance
±0.0002 in
Tighter on small parts with optimal setup. CMM verification on critical features.
Surface finish
16 μin Ra
Achievable with multi-pass skim cutting. Standard 32–63 μin on first pass.
Material hardness
Up to Rc 70
Tool steel, Inconel, titanium, refractory metals — all cut at full speed regardless of hardness.
Min inside radius
0.003 in
Equal to wire radius. No tool-diameter restriction like in milling.
Materials we wire-EDM most often
- Inconel 718, 625, X-750 — turbine wheel blanks, combustor brackets, hot-section components
- Hastelloy X, C-276 — high-temperature corrosion-resistant parts
- Titanium 6Al-4V, 6-2-4-2 — airframe brackets, structural components
- Hardened tool steel (A2, D2, M2, H13) — tooling, dies, gauges
- 17-4 PH and 15-5 PH stainless — aerospace structural fittings
- Refractory metals — tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium
- Beryllium copper — aerospace electrical contacts and fittings
Typical aerospace wire EDM applications
- Turbine engine and rocket engine nozzle slots and cooling passages
- Aerospace structural brackets with complex profiles
- Hardened tooling, dies, punches, and fixtures
- Aerospace fasteners with non-standard cross-sections
- Test specimens for fracture mechanics and fatigue testing
- Honeycomb cell forming tooling
Standards
Wire EDM to aerospace and defense standards.
Specification
Process / Coverage
Common Applications
AMS 2728
Electrical discharge machining of metals
General aerospace EDM, surface integrity requirements
AS9100 Rev D
Aerospace quality management system
All aerospace and defense work
AS9102
First Article Inspection (FAI) for aerospace parts
Production parts; included on every prime program by default
ITAR §120-130
Export control regulation framework
Controlled drawings, U.S. persons execution, defense articles
ANSI B46.1
Surface texture measurement standard
Surface finish verification on critical features
Related Capabilities
Pairs well with.
Argent customers typically combine multiple capabilities on the same program. These are the most common pairings with this work.
FAQ
Common questions.
What is the difference between wire EDM and sinker EDM?
Wire EDM uses a thin moving wire to cut all the way through a conductive workpiece — best for through-cut profiles, complex 2D shapes, and stack cuts. Sinker EDM (also called ram EDM or die-sinking) uses a shaped graphite or copper electrode that is plunged into the workpiece to create blind cavities, internal features, and 3D contours. Wire EDM only cuts through; sinker EDM can produce features that don't pass all the way through the material.
What materials can be wire-EDMed?
Any electrically conductive material. Aerospace work most often involves hardened tool steel (A2, D2, M2, H13), Inconel 718 and 625, Hastelloy X and C-276, titanium 6Al-4V, 17-4 PH and 15-5 PH stainless, beryllium copper, and refractory metals (tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum). Material hardness has essentially no effect on cutting speed because there is no mechanical cutting force.
How tight a tolerance can wire EDM hold?
Positional tolerance of ±0.0002 inches is standard with proper setup and multi-pass cutting. Tighter tolerances are achievable on small parts with optimal fixturing. Surface finish can be brought down to 16 microinch Ra with multi-pass skim cutting. The first cut is typically 32-63 microinch Ra; skim passes refine the surface to the target finish.
What's the smallest inside corner radius wire EDM can produce?
The inside corner radius equals the wire radius. With our standard 0.010 in diameter brass wire, that's a 0.005 in radius. Finer wire (down to 0.004 in diameter, 0.002 in radius) is used for detail work where corner sharpness matters. This is significantly sharper than what end-milling can produce, since milled corners are limited by the tool diameter (typically 0.015 in radius minimum for a 1/32 end mill).
Can wire EDM handle ITAR-controlled aerospace work?
Yes. Argent's wire EDM partner network operates under ITAR-controlled data handling with U.S.-only execution. Controlled drawings transmitted via secure channels, U.S. persons attestation on file for every operator who touches the part, and full export compliance documentation shipped with the work. DDTC registration is in process.
Wire EDM RFQ that nobody will quote?
Send us the print. Hardened tool steel, Inconel, titanium, refractory metals — the work that needs zero mechanical force, sharp inside corners, or material hardness that defeats milling. That's our work.