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The reason rust occurs on steel parts in deionized water is a simple chemical reaction. Positive iron ions from the steel workpiece dissolve in the water and react with oxygen molecules to form iron oxide, or rust, on the surface of the workpiece. This issue has plagued wire EDM shops since the beginning of commercial wire EDMs. Chemical rust inhibitors have been used as additives to the dielectric fluid, but these inhibitors require monitoring to maintain concentration and can shorten the life of the deionizing resin.

Makino has recently addressed this issue in water-based wire EDMs with a simple circuit added to the work tank that gives the workpiece a negative electrical potential. The circuit causes the workpiece to attract positive iron ions, preventing them from dissolving in the water and forming rust. Machines equipped with such a device have been shown to eliminate rusting of steel parts for up to 24 hours, even after machining has stopped. The pictures below illustrate steel parts that have been submerged in the deionized water of a DUO machine with and without the anti-rust unit. The part submerged in the machine without the anti-rust unit is fully covered with rust, whereas the other part is clean and rust-free.

This electric anti-rust unit was demonstrated at Makino’s Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Expo in Auburn Hills, Mich. It garnered a lot of interest from those looking at wire EDM technologies, and it should prove to be a tool that saves time and increases profit for Makino customers performing long run-time, submerged wire EDMing of steel workpieces. New machines can be ordered with the option, and the anti-rust unit can be retrofitted to currently installed machines.

For more information on this new technology, you can contact me at Jeff.Kiszonas@makino.com or by calling (248) 232-6208.

-Jeff

Both pieces were submerged in dielectric water for 24 hours. No machining was performed during this time.

Without Electric Anti-Rust Unit


With Electric Anti-Rust Unit