Makino EDAF3 Sinker EDM

The Makino EDAF3 is a sinker EDM: a ram-type electrical discharge machine that erodes a cavity by sinking a shaped electrode into the workpiece under dielectric fluid. It does the work milling cannot — sharp internal corners, deep narrow ribs, and hardened tool steel that would destroy cutters — which is why it sits alongside machining centres in die and mould shops rather than competing with them.

The table is 700 x 500 mm (27.5 x 19.7 in) and the work tank measures 850 x 650 x 400 mm (33.46 x 25.6 x 15.75 in). On a sinker it is the tank, not the table, that sets real capacity, because the part has to sit fully submerged with room for flushing around it. The 400 mm tank depth is therefore the dimension that decides whether a tall mould block fits at all.

Travels are 450 mm on X and 351 mm on Y and Z (17.7 × 13.8 × 13.8 in). Z matching Y rather than exceeding it is worth noting: burn depth on tall work depends on how the part is set in the tank and on electrode length, so setup planning carries more weight here than on a milling machine with generous Z.

Maximum workpiece weight is 1,760 lb and maximum electrode weight 165 lb. That combination is informative. A machine holding a workpiece of that mass is aimed at substantial mould and die blocks, while the 165 lb electrode allowance covers large graphite or copper electrodes without having to section them into smaller pieces and accept the blending problems that follow. For shops running an automatic electrode changer, electrode weight is usually the constraint that decides how much of a job can run unattended overnight.

Control is Makino's Hyper-i system. The EDAF3 fits die and mould shops producing injection mould cavities, forging and extrusion dies, and connector tooling: work where the part is already hardened before it reaches the EDM, and where the finish coming off the machine determines how much hand polishing follows.