±0.0001″

Every cut. Every time.

Brass wire thinner than a human hair. Hardened tool steel to 68 HRC. Tolerances that end mills and lasers cannot touch.

0.001″

min. kerf

68 HRC

max hardness

Ra 8

surface finish

0.0001

Process Audit

Wire EDM vs. The Field

Twelve measurable rows. Honest marks. The data makes the case.

Wins

Ties

Losses

Metric	Wire EDM	Laser	Milling	Sinker EDM
Achievable Tolerance ±" CMM-verified first article	0.0001	0.003	0.0005	0.0002
Min. Inside Radius "	0.0005	0.003	0.015	0.005
Surface Finish Ra µin Sinker EDM edges ahead on Ra	8	125	32	4
Kerf Width "	0.001	0.008	0.125	N/A
Heat-Affected Zone " Milling wins on HAZ; no heat	<0.0002	0.010	None	<0.0002
Max Workpiece Hardness HRC Milling limited by tooling life	68	68	45	68
Taper Capability °	±30	±5	±5	N/A
Unattended Run Time hrs Laser also lights-out capable	24+	24+	8	16
Material Waste	Minimal	Low	High	None
Setup Cost $	Low	Medium	High	High
Per-Piece Cost @ Volume $ Laser competitive at volume	Low	Low	Medium	High
Typical Lead Time days Laser fastest for simple profiles	3–5	2–4	5–10	7–14

Wire EDM wins

Tie or context-dependent

Another process leads

Inspection Reports

Three parts. Before-spec and after-inspection. No renders — actual first-article results.

Free Download

The full 12-row audit with tolerances, cost models, and material compatibility charts. Shareable with your engineering team or procurement committee.