Something really big is happening here....February 27th, 2006, its cold in Canada and that gives us time to play in the electronics lab
Ever wanted to drill a square hole? How about a star or maple leaf hole (plug for Canada - Yeah!)? Ever need to remove a tap from the last hole you needed to tap? Funny how the tap always breaks on the last hole...
How about machining hardened metals like carbide or titanium? Engrave your name in a file - impress your friends!
EDM stands for Electro Discharge Machining. It is almost reverse welding. Basically a spark is used to blast a small pit into your stock. One spark = one pit. Takes a long time to erode metal this way. How about 2000 sparks per second...how about 100,000?
There are two basic types of EDM Machines. Sink EDM's which plunge a probe into the stock, and wire EMD's that cut through steel kind of like a sparky band saw!
Have you ever priced an EDM machine? They start at around $2000US for a used one and go up from there. Ever try to build your own? Languis and Fleming have both written books on how to diy (check eBay), however, it is rather complicated, not to mention the technology has become dated. Gathering electronic parts can be difficult, and the dreaded shipping, taxes and duites are no fun either.
Enter the TOR EDM (The blond-haired, spontaneous and loud Tor was the God of Lightning in Nordic mythology). The TOR EDM is a kit for the small shop machinest, the garage owner who has to remove that ?%$@!! tap, the home CNC hobbiest who wants to machine metal. This kit is designed to make you an EDM expert in the shortest possible time. There are no complicated electronics to figure out. The board comes fully assembled and tested. You provide as much or as little of the main electrical items as you want. This way you save more money by utilizing things you can scrounge or have kicking around.
Unit is currently in the prototyping stage. Lots of sparks (and sadly some magic smoke) have come out of the process! Check back soon for more info!
This page has just been created and is under extensive renovation, please be patient!