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EDM beryllium copper

RJT

Titanium
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Location
greensboro,northcarolina
I have shied away from this in the past, but I'm getting more RFQ's for it and wonder if I'm being too cautious. I know I don't want to get into grinding it, but wondering if the slight bit of fumes you sometimes get from EDM are a concern. Can't find anything on the internet specifically addressing it. I have milled and turned it, but never done any sinker or wire EDMing. Applications department from EDM manufacturer are very non committal, refer you to MSDS sheets. "Ive done it for years and never had a problem" is not what I am looking for. Any documentation from a trusted recognized authority? I have no idea who that would even be. OSHA? Not sure I want to go down that road either.
 
I get questioned about my shop's involvement with beryllium fairly commonly, second only to mercurial contamination (but that's more about amalgam/corrosion related stuff, rather than OSHA in Be's case).

I wouldn't touch beryllium copper unless that's your bread and butter.
Maybe they want it so bad you can price a job to pay for a specialist to come in and set you up with the correct equipment; that would make it worth the hassle.
 
...I wouldn't touch beryllium copper unless that's your bread and butter.
Maybe they want it so bad you can price a job to pay for a specialist to come in and set you up with the correct equipment; that would make it worth the hassle...
Good advice.

We have to machine BeCu, so we have special handling procedures. Stock is cleaned/wrapped, our enclosures have extraction and we run two coolant circuits each with it's own sumps. Circuit 2 is designated hazardous and we use this for BeCu.
 
Good advice.

We have to machine BeCu, so we have special handling procedures. Stock is cleaned/wrapped, our enclosures have extraction and we run two coolant circuits each with it's own sumps. Circuit 2 is designated hazardous and we use this for BeCu.

Have you had the "hazardous" system checked? Bet there is nothing to worry about. After all copper is toxic too. If you are not generating breathable dust or compounds that may be inhaled/ingested/absorbed there is no hazard.
The mere presence of Be is not a problem. It must be in a hazardous form.
 
Hi RJT:
On another note: I've found Moldmax and other "beryllium-like" copper alloys to be real shitty to EDM cut.
Sinker wears the trodes pretty badly and wire creates lots of wire breaks until you get it dialed in.
I've also found it moves a lot from stress release, so if you want to begin taking it on, play with some scrap first to get a feel for how your machines and procedures work with it before you start quoting and potentially losing your ass on it.
I learned the hard way...I now have no ass!!:D

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining
Clarus Microtech

PS: Be aware though, that I've never actually cut plan vanilla beryllium copper...only Moldmax: I don't know if they behave substantially the same but I wouldn't be surprised if they do.
 








 
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