Page 67 - EDM Today Spring 2025

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Q: We have some FANUC Robocut iD Series Wire EDM machines. We fi nd that the wire will often cut high, or fail to
cut during an M50 (wire cut) operation. How can we debug this?
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A: If the wire cuts high in the AWF pipe, or fails to cut, it is
almost always a result of the AWF cutting electrodes being
worn or loose. Disassemble the AWF pipe and examine the
electrodes - they are only .004” thick, so if you can see a groove
at all, it is time to change them out. They can also be swapped,
once, from one side to the other. Be sure to reset the Chuck
Electrode counter on your Life Hours screen – see Figure 1. The
counter is set to 30,000 cuts, but I believe that value is too high.
I usually see the electrodes wear out by 20,000 cuts. The life
hours can be set to 20000 instead of 30000, if you would like,
simply by changing the number under “Life.” Figure 1
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It is also important that
the electrodes you select
Life Hours Screen
the cheaper electrodes on the market are .008” thick, and though they may cut
the wire fi ne, I have seen them leave a very small burr that can cause threading
issues, specifi -
cally in zone 5,
6, or 7 on the
AWF Diagnostic
OUTSOURCING PROVIDER
page.
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EDM Today Magazine Be sure both PARTNER WITH ONE OF THE LARGEST WIRE EDM FACILITIES
IN THE COUNTRY WHEN YOU NEED EXTRA CAPACITY
electrodes have
a nice capital D
OVER 50 EDM MACHINES
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
shape on their
face – see
Figure 2. The
top should be
Figure 2
Cutting Electrodes Close Up
perpendicular,
and the back
square to the face. Make sure the wire goes directly
down the center of the two electrodes when the chuck
is wide open. Slowly squeeze the chuck together by
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important to maintain that high level of reliability. EDM Today Magazine
hand and confi rm that both electrodes meet the wire
at the same time.
Also, check the Detect Plate at the bottom of the
AWF unit. A groove in the Detect Plate can cause
both wire cutting and threading issues.

In general, FANUC Robocut Wire EDM machines offer
highly reliable wire cutting and threading. However,
the use of quality parts and regular maintenance is

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EDM Today, Spring 2025 Issue