Light Assisted Wire EDM

Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a manufacturing technology that is used to make precise, low kerf loss cuts in electrically conductive materials. Wire EDM has also been used with semiconductors, such as silicon, but with poor results. Due to low conductivity, cuts in semiconductors take a long time and result in a rough cut surface. To address these limitations, we have developed a proprietary light-enhanced wire EDM technique that increases the speed of the process and reduces the surface roughness of the cut. 

Semiconductors increase in conductivity when illuminated with light. When light strikes semiconductors atoms, electrons absorb the energy and move to a higher energy state. When the material is in this state, it is more conductive because these electrons move freely within the semiconductor. This makes processes such as wire EDM, which relies on electric discharge, work much better.