Page 48 - Summer 2024 EDM Today

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bud Guitrau is a published author, professional writer, public speaker and a recognized
authority on Electrical Discharge Machining. Bud has been on the staff of EDM TODAY
since its founding in January 1990. Mr. Guitrau is the author of THE EDM HANDBOOK and
unknown to many, also wrote the first-ever, EDM-section for MACHINERY’S HANDBOOK

featured in the 25th edition. Mr. Guitrau is enjoying retirement after 50 years of diversified
experience in manufacturing and management and EDM education.

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TALES OF A ROAD WARRIOR
By Bud Guitrau

INTRODUCTION

This entry will be another one

of my shop-floor tales, but one
from an entirely different venue
– not one of service, applica-
tions, or sales, but one upon the
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stage at a major EDM confer-
ence – and worthy of a ‘Road
Warrior” tale.

EDM IN THE ‘90S
In the ‘90s, during the years of
EDM’s greatest growth and
highest recorded sales con-
sumption, there were also
numerous EDM conferences and
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symposiums, both regional and
national, to support the many
new user’s interest in new EDM
technology. These were most
often conducted by several
competing trade magazines
(this one included). The Society
of Manufacturing Engineers was
Chicago’s Navy Pier
another regular participant.
This is a true accounting of what occurred in 1997 during one of the largest and well-attended EDM conferences
ever held, a Modern Machine Shop magazine event. This conference was conducted at Chicago’s famous Navy Pier
facilities and was considered by all to be an amazing success.
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This is a back story of what occurred there, behind-the-scenes as its entirety is known to only a few. I’ll share it with

you now, but first...
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