Wire edm

[kd0afk]

Is there a company who does one off wire edm without charging what a new completed part costs?
I'm building a rifle and to get the lug raceways cut in the reciever will cost around $170 from a firm in Jersey. I can buy a brand new reciever for that much.
Does anyone have a line on less expensive edm services?

 

[MachineTom]

Wire EDM is a slow and accurate way to machine things. Slow and accurate mean more dollars per hour. The difference between drilling a quarter inch hole in a piece aluminum 1/4" thick, and boring a hole in a block of titanium 4" deep. Just mill it likes been done for 150 years.

 

[kd0afk]

Every time I ask people on the forums how to broach or machine them they always tell me "go with wire edm, it's better"

 

[kd0afk]

And the raceways have to be cut the full length of the part. At least 10"

 

[kd0afk]

I have an idea to make a broaching tool. It will be a shaft the same diameter as the center bore with a slot cut for an insert the same radius as the raceways. I'll push the thing through and then shim it underneath to raise the cutter height. Rotate rinse and repeat.
It will be a heck of a lot cheaper.
The raceways have to go the length of the reciever to guide the bolt lugs.

 

[Swifty]

Wire EDM is a slow process and the part has to be set up correctly, it all takes time, and time is money. For very complicated parts the cost is worth it, but complicated shape or not, price will be based on length of cut and height of part. I had an Agie wire cutter when I had a toolroom, it certainly revolutionised tool and die making, wish I had it now.

Paul.

 

[MachineTom]

Well the guys are right about how good EDM works. But they aren't the ones paying the bill. Titanium makes great drink cups, poor thermoconductivity, So hot stays Hot, and Cold stays Cold, no rust, no leaching of material. So the only problem is the cost of material, and the difficulty in fabrication. Anyone for $1000 drink cups.

 

[kd0afk]

I don't doubt a thing they are saying. What I don't like is the price. Most of the time when a company quotes a price, I can't help but think about the scene in Vacation when Clark asks how much the repairs are to the wagon queen family truckster.

 

[chrsbrbnk]

the wire edm would likely give you a better surface finish than broaching straightness and parallelism would likely be on the order of .0005 or better broaching the 4140 or equivalent strength steel wouldn't be that easy . flushing on the edm in a receiver might not be good so cut speed would suffer I would guess maybe 3 or 4 hrs if the guy was good so at at least 100 an hr I'd say 175 is a bargin