EDM Network launches fast-wire machine for large-scale PBF-LB build plate cutting
January 30, 2025

EDM Network Inc, based in Sugar Grove, Illinois, USA, has introduced a new single-axis horizontal submerged EDMMax 1100HW electrical discharge machining (EDM) machine. This addition to EDM Network‘s portfolio can cut a build plate up to 1400 x 1100 mm, weighing up to almost 3,000 kg.
The EDMMax 1100HW uses 0.18 mm diameter molybdenum high-tensile wire that is cycled back and forth from a capstan continuously until it is replaced with a new load of wire. One load of molybdenum wire (about 250 m) will last 60-80 hours at a cost of about $20/load, depending on cutting conditions and material type.
The machine was built to be easy to load from overhead cranes or a forklift: operators put the build plate on the worktable, align the wire to the face of the build plate, add an offset, submerge to cover the wire, then cut.

Unlike conventional brass wire EDMs, the fast-wire EDMs are not ‘flush dependent’, meaning they do not require high-pressure flush or submerged cutting to reduce wire breakage. Instead, an additive is put into the deionised water that allows the water to adhere to the molybdenum wire, allowing it to be drawn through the narrow kerf and remove the EDM swarf without breaking the wire.
This feature is said to make it well suited for removing the Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) parts from the build plates. These Fast Wire EDMs will reportedly cut 2-3x faster than brass wire EDMs in interrupted conditions.
The EDMMax 1100HW is available in a pure, deionised water option as well as the standard ‘water additive’ model.