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Power System
Electrolyte System
Gap System
Cutting Metal
Sources

Fig. 1

The first step in creating the power system is ordering all

the parts and populating Ben Fleming's version 3.7
PC board. The completed board is shown above.

Fig. 2

The next step was in getting a project box to hold all the

parts and start thinking about the layout of things.

Project boxes are pretty expensive anymore, but luckily
I found a used one at a local electronics surplus store
that I could adapt fairly well. This 11 x 12 x 5.75 inch
box will house the resistors that will generate heat, as
well as the main cutting capacitors that need to be
cooled, so a fan is needed. I'll block off some of the vent
holes to direct airflow.
The main supply calls for about 50 volts at several amps,
and there wasn't much in that way of transformers
around, so two 24 volt transformers wired in parallel
with give me 48 volts. There is also a third 12 volt
transformer that needs to be mounted, as well as the
partially populated PC board of Figure 1, a fuse holder,
bridge rectifier, power connector, and jacks for the cable
connections to the actuator motor and to the electrode.
Above, I've just laid things in the box to get a feel for a
good arrangement that will facilitate good wiring
practice and parts cooling.

Fig. 3

I found the above 20 ohm 100 watt power resistors on

Ebay for $4.50 each and they are 3.5 inches long. The
spec callls for a 10 ohm 100 watt resistor, so these two in
parallel will provide 10 ohms at 200 watts. They came
with the mounting straps.

Fig. 4

The front panel controls for the device consists of a

meter, 5 potentiometers, two LEDs, and 9 switches (one
is a rotary). This necessitated some kind of layout for the
front controls. I came up with the one shown above.
From this CAD drawing, a toolpath with be generated to
CNC cut the holes, and the labels will be printed on a
laser printer.

Fig. 5

Above shows the .032 aluminum panel being cut on

my homebuilt CNC. The panel above is oversized so that
I could screw it to the sacrifice board. After being

trimmed, it will be cleaned and painted.

Fig. 6

Above shows the painted and labeled panel with the

switches, knobs, LEDs and meter mounted. I've grouped
the controls for the servo descent into a box on the left.
The "Up Down" switch just allows you raise and lower
the electrode, or ram. The Auto On/Off turns on or off
the automatically lowering of the ram as a function of
the current used by the burn. The upper knob allows you
to control how fast the motor descends.
The next box controls dithering. Dithering is engaged by
the On/Off switch and simply backs out the electrode
every so often, how often controlled by the Interval
knob, and waits a bit for the gap to be flushed out - how
long it waits is controlled by the Duration knob.
The third box are three switches that add capacitance
into the high voltage circuit to increase or decrease the
discharge current which affects the fine or coarse finish,
as well as cutting time.
The Window and Stability controls set up the gap at the
best current flow. The Reference knob sets the point at

which the ram starts to be lowered. I may try a custom

face for the 0-15V meter, which actually measures 0-150
Volts. The "Burn" LED is a red/green bipolar LED that
is red when the servo is descending and green when the
servo is ascending.
There is a red LED above the power switch that lights up
from the +12V supply (it's not in the plans - I just don't
want to leave this thing on accidentally), and the switch
under the power switch flips the unit between EDM
mode and "Edge Finder" mode, which simply sounds a
buzzer when continuity is detected between the electrode
and the work piece.
The "Caution" label under some of the switches is just a
reminder not to throw those switches while cutting, or
the power will arc across the switch, potentially ruining
the switch.

Fig. 7

In the middle of wiring.... Just about all the components

have the right wires on them, and now they just need to
be connected to the PC board. The power resistors are

placed right in front of the fan, and the main capacitor is

next to them. The airflow is right to left and out the fan.
The PC board is mounted on some nylon standoffs.

Fig 1

The electrolyte system consists of a cutting tank, a pump, a filter, a flush

nozzle, an electrolyte reservoir, and the connecting plumbing. After searching
for some time, the pump above still fits the bill at the lowest price - its a Dayton
2HNN9 submersible pump with an 18 foot head and Viton seals that will
endure the electrolyte. The screened intake is under the unit, and the output is
the the threaded pipe fitting above. (I do not like pipe fittings!)

Fig 2

Above is a kit of parts of Line-Loc brand flexible tubing. The top left parts are
threaded fitting adapters. These, as well as the nozzles just snap into place and
will be used to direct the flow of electrolyte to the electrode gap, keeping it
flushed from debris.

Fig. 3

At the 2011 workshop, Ben Fleming told me a well-filtered electrolyte flush

can make a poor EDM sparker look good, and conversely great spark system
with a poorly filtered electrolyte will produce poor results, so it pays to keep
the flush clean and flowing. Above shows the filter set-up. Its a Derale 25005
"remote filter mount" that accepts a regular automotive Fram PH16 type oil
filter, of which you can buy in different levels of filtration at Walmart. The inlet
and outlet on the left of the mount are 3/8 MPT pipe threads (Did I mention I
don't like pipe threads?) With the price of metals today, its best to get to PVC
quickly, so I ended up getting 2 brass 3/8" MPT nipples with 2 3/8 MPT to 1/2
MPT adapters, which accommodate a 1/2 MPT to 1/2 PVC glue fitting. This
assembly will be mounted on the side of the tank for easy access to the filter.

Fig. 4

Above is the fiberglass pan I will be using as a cutting tank. It is from U.S.
Plastic Corp, and is a "#049226 22x14x8 tote pan gray." Fiberglass is good
because it will stand up to the electrolyte and allow other things to be epoxied
on to it. I ordered one wider than square to allow for the filter and pump to one
side. It will also get a bed for the workpiece and a drain to the electrolyte
reservoir.

Fig. 5

Figure 5 simply shows a one gallon jug of the electrolyte solution I am using
from McMaster-Carr. It is relatively clear.

The Gap system is an electromechanical set up to position the electrode over a piece of
clamped-in-place work material, and then maintain the resulting gap between them as the
material erodes away. It is also very convenient to be able to position the electrode
accurately over the workpiece, so an X-Y table is usually employed.
To start with, we need a frame, a linear actuator, and some clamps. This assembly that
lowers the electrode is sometimes called the ram, even though the electrode should never
actually touch the work material. We'll start with the ram.
The ram's actuator has little need for mechanical position feedback since the gap will be
maintained by feedback from the electrical discharge. Therefore, a stepper motor or servo
motor with encoder is not needed.

Fig 1

The ram then will be driven by an inexpensive ($13!) gear motor with an 80 rpm output
shown in Figure 1 that will turn a threaded rod. This assembly will be mounted on sliding
rail.

Fig 2

The 3/8-24 threaded rod needs a concentric hole to receive the .187 motor shaft. For that,
Frank Kerner, a good friend who has lots of experience as well as a very nice lathe and a
good set of drills and reamers helped me get a perfect fit.

Fig 3

Since there are no sideways forces during operation, or even much in the way of vertical
forces (besides lifting its own weight), no elaborate rails or bearings are needed as long as
there is very little play in them, so a simple drawer slide will be used per Ben's plans. The
travel of the slide only needs to be long enough to get the electrode out of the way
enough to mount and dismount the work, say 1-3 inches. The one I used was an under
drawer mount that I bought at a big box store - model Knape & Vogt #1129, just under
$5.

Fig. 4

Above shows a replacement Jacobs chuck screwed onto a segment of the 3/8 threaded rod
shown in Figure 2. It is also screwed into a piece of 3/4 x 3/4 UHMW plastic that also has
two #10-32 holes tapped into it. These stainless #10 screws will secure the chuck to the

slide. The plastic insulates the chuck and electrode from the rest of the machine. I think
I will add a jam nut against the chuck as well as a soldering lug.

Fig. 5

Here I've deviated from the book slightly - I wanted to keep the drive screw and chuck of
the ram centered down the slide, so I mounted the chuck centered, and made an
aluminum mounting plate for the lead screw nut. The plate was flush riveted to the slide.
The screw nut is made of UHMW, (ultra high molecular weight plastic) ideal for an antibacklash nut and threaded for the 3/8 rod in the middle, with bolt holes on either side
matching the mounting plate. The hole for the drive screw was placed after aligning
everything with the motor in place. I've also deviated from the plans by making the slide
assembly about an inch longer, just to provide more clearance as well as allow the
electrode to be placed deeper into some objects. The other side of the slide and the screw
are lengthen to match.
The motor is mounted to the fixed part with a simple hose clamp. All in all, it fits together
very well. I still need to glue the drive screw to the motor shaft with a wavy washer, and
bolt a piece of square tubing on the fixed part of the slide to provide a handle for the ram.

Fig. 6

Here is the finished ram assembly, ready to zap! I epoxied the threaded rod onto the
motor shaft with a wavy washer and a nylon washer to take up any play in the motor
bearings. I added another flush-riveted mounting plate for the square tube cross arm, and
part of a 3/8 inch bolt into the square tube arm. Mostly, these mounting plates were done
because it was too hard getting a pair of nuts or a bolt heads inside the slide - this way,
only flush rivets end up inside the slide aligned down the middle. I've taken steps to make
sure that everything is aligned for a smooth vertical travel. If you apply +12V to the
motor, the electrode chuck descends, and if you apply -12V, it ascends. With the longer
length, I got eight ball bearings in the slide - there is now very little play in the slide.
The rear bolt will go into my drill press chuck and allow me to use my drill press as a
stand with an adjustable table for now, although I may later make its own stand over the
tank.
One other improvement I may make is to modify and bolt one of those inexpensive
digital calipers to the slide, giving me a DRO type indicator that will allow me to control
the depth of cut with some precision. And, it might be fun to watch the numbers increase
as the cut proceeds.

Fig. 7

Above is the ram chucked in my drillpress. Where the vise is, the tank will be placed.
I will try to remember not to turn the drill press on when it is in this configuration!