- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
Electrical Discharge Machining
Home > Modern Firearms Manufacture > Rifled Barrels > Electrical Discharge Machining
There is some limited use of EDM to produce rifling in gun barrels. However, EDM technology is more frequently used to make dies that will be installed in manufacturing machines. EDM is especially useful in the fabrication of tungsten carbide dies. Tungsten carbide is harder than steel. Before EDM, carbide dies were formed only by the use of diamond paste. The grinding action of the paste gradually shaped the die cavity to its final form, but the process was time consuming. With EDM, the total time required to produce a die is greatly reduced. Hand polishing with diamond paste is still necessary, but only as the final finishing step.
