Water Filtration System, Precision EDM Facility

A high-end EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) shop with stringent water quality requirements needed to reduce their filter maintenance associated costs. Aurora Micromachine (Buffalo, MN) is a US distributor and leading user of the Swiss made Sarix EDM machines which are known for their superior micro erosion capabilities. For many processes, pure, de-ionized water is used as the flushing fluid during cutting and can then be recycled by particle filtration and de-ionization. We designed an automated, central water purification system that adds filtration capacity and redundancy to eliminate maintenance, three shifts to operate at their full potential. A PLC, coupled with a suite of sensors, monitors the water quality in real-time and alerts the machine operator if there is pending maintenance prior to a shut-down condition. Facility-wide, high-quality water provided from a central bulk system has given Aurora an economic advantage in the cost of their filtered water while increasing part quality due to continuous quality monitoring.