At Owens Industries, we specialize in providing top-quality Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) services, including Ram/Sink/Plunge EDM. Our advanced equipment and highly skilled team allow us to deliver exceptional results for our clients, regardless of the complexity of their project. Our EDM capabilities are suitable for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, medical, and electronics, where precise and intricate components are required.
Our team is able to produce fine detail and surface finishes, precision gears, and complex cavities and shapes to meet the needs of our clients. Our dedication to quality and customer satisfaction sets us apart from our competitors. We pride ourselves on delivering reliable, high-precision components that meet the stringent requirements of our clients.
If you are in need of EDM services, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your project in more detail. Our team is ready to partner with you to deliver the best possible results for your project.
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Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a manufacturing process that uses electrical discharges to shape and cut metal components. There are several benefits to using EDM in manufacturing:
Precision: EDM is capable of producing very precise shapes and cuts, with tolerances as low as 0.0001 inches. This makes it ideal for producing high-precision components, such as those used in the aerospace, medical, and electronics industries.
Complex shapes: EDM can be used to produce complex shapes that would be difficult or impossible to create using other machining methods. It can create internal cavities, sharp corners, and contoured surfaces with ease.
Hard materials: EDM is very effective at machining hard materials, such as tool steel and carbide, which are difficult to cut using other methods.
No mechanical stress: Because EDM uses electrical discharges rather than mechanical force to shape the workpiece, there is no mechanical stress applied to the material. This makes it ideal for machining delicate components or materials that may be prone to distortion.
No tool wear: In traditional machining processes, the cutting tool wears down over time and must be replaced. In EDM, the electrode does not come into contact with the workpiece and does not experience wear, so it can be used for a virtually unlimited number of cycles.
High production rates: EDM can be used to produce a large number of identical components in a short period of time, making it suitable for high-volume production.
Overall, EDM is a highly versatile and precise manufacturing process that is well-suited for producing complex shapes in hard materials. It offers a number of benefits over traditional machining methods, including the ability to produce precise shapes, machining hard materials, and minimal mechanical stress on the workpiece.
Sink EDM, also known as Ram EDM or Plunge EDM, is a type of electrical discharge machining (EDM) process that is used to produce precise, complex shapes in metal components. In this process, a specialized tool called an electrode is used to shape the workpiece by making repeated electrical discharges between the electrode and the workpiece.
The process is called "sink" EDM because the electrode is typically made to sink into the workpiece, creating a hole or cavity. It is also called "ram" EDM because the electrode is mounted on a ram, which moves the electrode up and down to make the discharges. Plunge EDM is another name for sink EDM, as the electrode is plunged into the workpiece to create the desired shape.
Sink EDM is often used to produce shapes that would be difficult or impossible to produce using other machining methods, such as high-precision holes, complex contours, and internal cavities. It is particularly useful for machining hard materials, such as tool steel and carbide, and can be used to produce parts with tight tolerances and smooth surface finishes.
The growth of the medical industry has no end in sight. As the population grows and technology advances more and more medical products are put on the market; with new innovations being created every day. Product engineers and manufacturers need an EDM Shop they can trust. The majority of our clients experience reduced costs when switching to Owens – our state-of-the-art equipment allows our CNC programmers to get medical parts machined in less time with more accuracy, reducing the number of bad parts. Whether your surgical component requires micron tolerances, fine surface finishes, thin walls or any intricacy in between, we will deliver as expected.
Sink/Ram/Plunge EDM is used across a number of industries to produce precision-dependent components with fast manufacturing times and repeatable accuracy, including:
Aircrafts
Military Satellites
Aerospace
Medical Devices
Optical Equipment
Tool & Die
Pharmaceutical
Food Manufacturing
Oil & GasOwens Industries serves these industries and more, consistently exceeding industry quality standards and the capabilities of normal CNC machine shops. We are happy to take on prototype or production machining work.
Understanding the full capabilities for 5-axis machining is the difference between an ordinary component and an extraordinary one. CNC machinists trained to use CNC machines may not have the knowledge or expertise to get the most from 5-axis technology, but Owens Industries is different. We have an arsenal of the best 5-axis machinery on the market produced by the best brands and are always operated by expert machinists who know how to utilize 5-axis technology for your particular components.
Owens uses the best CNC machines manufactured by AGIE, Hermle, DMG, Okuma and more. We have consistently delivered remarkable results using our 5-axis machining services for multiple industries all over the United States.
Owens Industries uses Wire EDM and Sink/Ram EDM to manufacture precision gears with Micron Tolerances, including worm gears and pinion gears.
Please note that Owens is not a gear house. We do not manufacture “normal” gears. We machine only small gears that need accuracies of a few microns. If tolerances for your gears are more than 30 microns, or if the size of your gear is larger than a few inches, we would not be a good fit.
The required patterns, fixtures and blanks used to produce precision gears are all manufactured in-house at Owens, using our precision calibrated 5-Axis Machining Centers and Super Precision Lathes. It is this complete in-house control over all of the required CNC machining processes which allows us to manufacture gears with such extreme precision. Our commitment to ultra-precision gear work limits our gear sizes to be small.
Owens has a long history of producing precision gears. We have manufactured AGMA Class 11 gears for the medical industry. Class 11 gears have tolerances in the range of +/- 0.0003” on the pitch diameter. We have also taken on projects for even more precise AGMA Class 12 gears that require 1-micron tolerance. In addition to these gears, we also have experience producing pinion gears and linear gear patterns with extreme accuracy. Typically, the material used for gears in the medical industry is 17-4 Precipitation Hardened Stainless Steel. We can certainly work with other alloys per your design requirements.
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| Feature | Sinker EDM | Wire EDM |
| Workpiece | Metal | Metal |
| Process | Electrode shapes the workpiece | Wire shapes the workpiece |
| Precision | Less precise | More precise |
| Surface finish | Rougher | Smoother |
| Speed | Faster | Slower |
| Depth of cut | Greater | Less |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Applications | Used to make complex shapes in hard materials | Used to make precise cuts in thin materials |
Sinker EDM is a manufacturing process that uses electrical discharges to shape a workpiece. It is used to make complex shapes in hard materials, such as metal, and is generally less precise and produces a rougher surface finish compared to wire EDM. Sinker EDM is also faster and can cut to a greater depth, but is less expensive than wire EDM.
Wire EDM is also a manufacturing process that uses electrical discharges, but it uses a thin wire to shape the workpiece. It is used to make precise cuts in thin materials and produces a smoother surface finish than sinker EDM. However, it is slower and can only cut to a shallow depth. Wire EDM is more expensive than sinker EDM.
Sinker EDM and Wire EDM both produce a spark using an electrode to cut or erode the material being machined. In both processes, the spark created by the electrode never comes into physical contact with the machined part, maintaining the integrity of the material being cut and resulting in a burr-free finish. The difference between Sinker EDM and Wire EDM lies greatly in the type of electrode used in each process, the fact that no pre-drilled hole is required with Sinker EDM, as well as the 3D capacities the Sinker EDM is capable of achieving (Wire EDM only has the capabilities to produce 2D parts). Sinker EDM can produce parts that Wire EDM cannot – components that do not need to be cut all the way through.
Conductive materials machined by Sinker EDM: |
Sinker EDM applications: |
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| Part | Application | Industry | Material | Specific Feature |
| Objective Head | Catheter Head | Medical | 17-4PH Steel | EDM Sink with Miniature Copper Electrodes |
| Nut, Inner Race | Shaft Control | Oil & Gas | M50 Vim-Var IAW AMS 6491 | Sink Internal Ball Screw Thread |
Owens Industries uses Wire EDM and Sink/Ram/Plunge EDM to manufacture precision gears with Micron Tolerances, including worm gears, pinion gears and more.
