Application
EDM Electrodes
Low-wear electrode stock for die-sinking and small-hole work
Overview
Why tungsten-copper here
In die-sinking EDM, electrode wear shows up directly on the workpiece: every micron the electrode loses is a micron of contour error in the mold. Tungsten-copper combines low electrode wear with good machinability, making it the standard choice for fine finishing passes, sharp corners and small holes in hardened tool steels and carbides.
We supply rods, blocks and near-net blanks in W/Cu 75/25 and 70/30 — rough-machined or ground — and cut custom electrode sections to your drawing. Reorder cycles in EDM shops run weekly to monthly, which is exactly what our no-MOQ, 10–14 day supply model is built for.
-
Low wear rate
The tungsten skeleton holds fine features through long burns in hardened steels.
-
Sharp corners & small holes
The go-to material where copper or graphite electrodes erode too fast.
-
Machinable stock
Rods, blocks and blanks supplied rough-machined or ground to your spec.
-
Weekly reorder friendly
No MOQ and a 10–14 day lead time match real EDM consumption cycles.
In depth
Application notes
Why wear rate decides electrode economics
Die-sinking EDM cost is mostly electrode cost: the electrode wears into a mirror of the cavity, and every re-cut for finishing needs a fresh face or a fresh electrode. The tungsten skeleton in W/Cu holds fine detail — sharp corners, thin ribs, small holes — through burns where pure copper would round over and graphite would shed particles into the gap.
Low wear also means fewer electrode copies per cavity. For deep, narrow features — the classic hard case — W/Cu is often the only material that finishes the burn without a redress cycle.
Against graphite and pure copper
Graphite is cheap and fast for roughing, but it cannot hold a knife edge, and its wear ratio on carbide work is poor. Pure copper conducts beautifully but wears too fast for fine finishing and machines poorly in small sections. W/Cu sits where those two fail: it holds detail like graphite wishes it could, and survives burns copper cannot.
Standard practice in die shops: graphite or copper for roughing passes, W/Cu for the finishing electrodes that set the final contour and corner radii.
Stock formats that match EDM workflows
EDM consumption is continuous and lumpy: one week you need six small rods, the next week a block for a big cavity repair. Our no-MOQ stock model exists for exactly this rhythm — rods and blocks in both grades, rough-machined or ground, shipping in 10–14 days.
For recurring electrode sections, we hold your drawing and cut repeat batches to the same dimensions, so the only thing that changes between orders is the delivery date.
Related: Electrode rods & blocks
Supplied from our floor
Products for this application
Technical library
Further reading
The guides engineers read before they write the second drawing.
- EDM electrode material selection Wear rate against material cost — the only comparison that decides electrode economics.
- Tungsten copper vs molybdenum The refractory decision, with the machining argument that usually settles it.
- Tungsten copper vs pure tungsten Where CuW earns its keep and where pure tungsten is still the right answer.
- Copper molybdenum electrodes What CuMo is, what it costs, and the burn geometries where it beats W/Cu.
- Machining tungsten copper Fine features, thin ribs and the depths where electrode deflection shows up.
Running edm on your line?
Send alloy, dimensions and quantity — quote back within 24 hours, held for 7 days.