Two-stage electro-discharge machining fabricating superhard cutting tools

A novel technique for fabricating efficiently precision cutting tools made from polycrystalline superhard materials is reported in the present paper. For this purpose, a two-stage electro-discharge machining (EDM) was applied on diamond polycrystallines, by employing first wire-electrode EDM for rough cutting and subsequently rotational disc-electrode EDM for finishing operations. Experimental results obtained clearly indicate the applicability of the proposed two-stage technique for fabricating precision cutting tools that can be used for the production of machined components made from glass and plastics, ceramics, composite materials and non-ferrous metals, at an industrial scale.