In a micro-EDM, it is well known that an RC circuit is suitable as a discharge circuit because of its low pulse width and relatively high peak current. To increase machining speed without changing unit discharge energy, charge resistance should be decreased. But, when the resistance is very low, continuous (or normal) arc discharge occurs, electrode wear increases and machining speed is reduced remarkably. In this paper, an RC circuit with transistors is used in a micro-EDM. Experimental results show that the RC circuit with transistors can cut off a continuous (or normal) arc discharge effectively if the duty factor and switching period of the transistor are set up optimally. Through experiments with varying charge resistances, it is shown that the RC circuit with transistors has about two times faster machining speed than that of an RC circuit.
