any problems with coated wire?

I got a sample spool of coated wire to try.. .01"dia...and I am wondering if that coating may clog up my guides or get residure from the flaking coating in my machine and cause problems......I am thinking if it does it cant be that bad, or they wouldnt sell it....but there may be a few small issues that people learn to live with if they are getting something else in return.

thanks

bob

Bob,

I have been using coated wire for 17 years. It has never plugged my guides or flaked off to cause problems. The coating acts as a lubricant and aids in flushing. I don't know what kind of machine you use, but I have Agie's with the open V guides and have never seen any buildup from the wire. I think you will be a happy camper.

TMD

The only difference I've noticed (other thanhigher cutting speeds) is that the coated wire seems to require more frequent filter replacement than uncoated wire.
IMBFOS.

I have a mits FA10...it has round guides....we dont cut enough material to notice filter problems.....we cut small tubes and wires of NITI.... and we cut very small amounts off at that.....we make needle points and cut small tubes at angles and such....like .022 "dia tubes with an .013 ID and similar stuff..

not much debris at all

bob

Bob

The last time I've purchased brass wire was over 2 years ago, and I still have 2 spools left. Other than for aluminum, I use coated wire exclusively.
What's even worse, I actually prefer the flaking coating, as it is a slightly thicker and gives much better results in cutting speed. As long as you keep the maintenance up, there is no problem with clogging, and you can forget about filter issues as the cost savings in the cutting speed makes up for that 10 fold.
My choice of wire is the now nearly unobtainable Sumitomo SZR. Fastest and most reliable thing I've ever found. I soon will have to switch over to Mega D from Gisco. May seem pricey at first at $120 and up for a spool, but again, the speed difference over 12-15 hours of cutting makes brass wires all but useless.
My opinion anyway....

Bob,

I started using coated wire a couple of months ago in my machine with fantastic results. I also use .010 wire and for years I have used plain brass. This was the recommendation of the machine manufacturer. The machine came with a spool of plain brass and a spool of coated brass. After trying both the coated wire and hard brass I didn't see much of a difference in speed finish or quality of the cut. But this was quite some time ago. Since technology has changed so much I wanted to give the coated wire another chance. It is well worth the price difference with no ill effects. I have less trouble with gummed up guides and wire breaks that happen when the flushing isn't quite up to par. My cut speeds are nearly double and I can get most cuts done in three passes instead of the four that it normally would take. I am using Gamma Z-Kut This is an economy coated wire from Kern / Global EDM supply. It may cost more per roll than brass but it will go a lot further. It is definitely worth the extra money spent.

Brian

We have switched over to zinc coated brass in our charmilles 240cc and use the stratified technology specifically for the cc and it outperforms the 190 dollar spool of wire and we pay just over 100 for the spool
get ahold of edm performance accesories

ok thanks for the feedback. I can see easily that for you guys cutting big solid hunks of metal that premium wire can cut your machining times down... and thus pay for the extra cost of the wire...BUT.........

we only cut small dia tubes!!! with maybe .01-.020 wall max on various dia up to about .150"

as a matter of fact i never use flushing..it vibrates my parts too much....I am wondering if this coated wire may give me better finnishes...I am not worried about run time as much as you guys..i have to make 5 passes sometimes ....but i dont cut very much material at all....

thanks

bob

If thats the case just stick with a full hard brass brassfill 900 works great for tall parts