The use of graphite in EDM machining is very common in the US, and is increasingly used in Europe and Asia. It is easy to machine, has excellent wear resistance, and performs well in most EDM machines.

Traditionally, Europeans and Asians have preferred copper, due to it's excellent wear characteristics and ability to produce a fine surface finish in the workpiece. The use of graphite as an electrode material is growing in popularity, however, with the introduction of high speed milling centers to machine the electrodes.

Graphite dust is very messy to work with and dispose of. Without a proper industrial dust collection system, the shop quickly is covered with a fine gray dust. This is unhealthy for humans and machinery as well.

Because the dust is so conductive, it has destroyed more than one circuit board in a nearby machine tool. I have personally witnessed a very expensive Charmilles RoboForm EDM being ruined by the nasty stuff. It was so fried that Charmilles was unable to repair it. Oddly enough, the 16 year old nephew of the owner was able to repair it!

It is not enough to merely set up a shop vacuum to suck up the dust during the typical manual surface grinding operation to make EDM electrodes. A fine particle filter industrial dust collection system is vastly superior and will help keep the shop atmosphere clean and healthy.

Many shops have customized wheel guards in place to help eliminate the dust during the grinding of graphite. This, together with the dust collector can make a huge difference. The operator will greatly appreciate this as well!

The high speed milling machines that now produce many of the electrodes for EDM machining are commonly equipped with a negative pressure chamber that is extremely efficient at dust collection. The inside of the machine cabinet is often squeaky clean, not to mention the air in the vicinity.

The carbide cutters and inserts used in these machining centers are expensive. Many are coated with special chemicals to increase their performance capabilities. Removing the dust during machining helps prolong the life of these carbide end mills and ball end mills. A coated micro end mill can easily cost up to $85, so the cost savings is significant.

The precision tooling used in the EDM machine are also quite costly. Removing this dust greatly helps to reduce the wear and tear on the System 3R and Erowa tooling that is commonly used. These EDM supplies are quite durable and well designed, but graphite is highly abrasive and destructive.

The automatic tool changer and pallet changer can also be adversely affected, if the dust is not removed from the shop. Similar to the precision tooling, any moving parts will prematurely wear or become inaccurate over time.

One other common tool, frequently used in mold repair, is the micro welder, or laser welder. The circuitry can be damaged by short circuits from the annoying dust.

Bottom line: invest in an industrial dust collector and keep the filters clean!