Process & Material
Gold Small Hole EDM Drilling Feasibility Review
Gold can be machined with Small Hole EDM when the geometry matches small through holes, deep holes, angled holes, cooling holes, vent holes, and start holes in hard or heat-resistant alloys. Gold is a very soft, dense and highly conductive precious metal; the supplied condition affects support, discharge energy, finishing, and inspection.
Quick Answer
Small Hole EDM is suitable for Gold when the feature is a small, deep, angled, cooling, vent, or start hole in conductive material. The supplied condition must be stated before tolerance and surface requirements are confirmed.
Key Material Decisions
How This Material Behaves
A very soft, dense and highly conductive precious metal. In Small Hole EDM, the supplied condition changes bore stability, breakthrough quality, wall finish, and the inspection plan for straightness and position.
Choosing the Right Condition
Choose Small Hole EDM for small through holes, deep holes, angled holes, cooling holes, vent holes, and start holes in hard or heat-resistant alloys. State the exact Gold condition, then set tolerance, finish, support, and inspection from the controlled feature rather than the whole part.
Risks to Manage
For Small Hole EDM, surface marking, thin-feature distortion and material recovery can matter more than discharge stability. Electrode shortening and debris transport can change taper, straightness and wall condition together during the final portion of a high-aspect-ratio hole; acceptance must focus on high-value edges, recovered slugs and mark-sensitive surfaces. On Gold, the resulting defect can be exit deformation, contact-surface damage or avoidable material loss. For Gold, use protected fixturing, minimize unnecessary stock removal and maintain a controlled recovery and handling procedure. Verify both ends of the hole and use sectioning or suitable wall inspection where service risk requires it; document geometry, handling marks, material loss and recovery records for Gold.
How Small Hole EDM Works on Gold
Small Hole EDM advances a rotating tubular electrode through Gold while dielectric exits at the cutting tip. Electrode wear, runout, internal flushing, true hole depth and breakthrough support control entry-to-exit diameter, taper, straightness and wall condition. Hole diameter, depth and depth-to-diameter ratio—not stock thickness alone—define the process limit.
Small Hole EDM Capability Reference
| What you're asking | What you can expect |
|---|---|
| Feature types | small through holes, deep holes, angled holes, cooling holes, vent holes, and start holes in hard or heat-resistant alloys |
| Tolerance | ±0.010–0.050 mm |
| Surface finish | Hole-wall finish is feature-dependent |
| Typical diameter | About 0.3–3.0 mm for ordinary planning |
| Depth driver | Depth-to-diameter ratio, straightness, and breakthrough |
| Main limitation | Very small diameter combined with extreme depth may require specialized equipment, staged electrodes, and dedicated metrology. |
Material Condition Reference
| Condition | What to expect | Watch out for | Surface notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| annealed | Use stable support and economical roughing. | Clamping and material condition can move delicate features. | Apply fine finishing only to functional faces. |
| work-hardened | Balance dimensional stability with feature-specific finishing. | Residual stress can shift thin sections or small details. | Identify wear, seal, fatigue, or contact surfaces. |
| finished or plated condition | Use conservative energy and selective inspection. | Finished or hardened surfaces can be sensitive to edge damage and recast. | Use lower-energy finishing or post-processing where function requires it. |
How This Material Behaves
Gold is extremely soft, dense, conductive, and costly. In EDM, this means the part can be damaged by clamping or handling before spark erosion becomes the limiting factor, and unnecessary overcut directly increases material loss. Use broad nonmarking support, minimize roughing stock, capture the final geometry with few controlled passes, and keep contact-surface cleanliness in the release plan. For Small Hole EDM, surface marking, thin-feature distortion and material recovery can matter more than discharge stability. For small holes, exit deformation, material recovery and protection of functional contact surfaces must be planned before cutting.
Surface Integrity and Post-Process
For Small Hole EDM on Gold, use protected fixturing, controlled finishing and recovery procedures for cut-off material. Reduce discharge energy near final size and breakthrough, then evaluate entry, exit, taper and wall condition separately. For fatigue-, flow- or seal-critical holes, specify recast acceptance or post-process cleaning and finishing instead of relying on diameter alone.
Gold Small Hole EDM Checkpoints
- Confirm that the feature matches small through holes, deep holes, angled holes, cooling holes, vent holes, and start holes in hard or heat-resistant alloys.
- State the supplied condition: annealed, work-hardened, and finished or plated condition.
- Mark the controlled dimensions, functional surfaces, datum scheme, and inspection method.
Typical Parts and Features
- fine contacts
- watch and jewelry details
- laboratory electrodes
- turbine-blade cooling holes
- mold and die vent holes
- injector and nozzle holes
Limits and Better Alternatives
Main Limit
Hole depth, diameter, aspect ratio, flushing, and breakthrough quality—not stock thickness alone—set the practical limit. On Gold, surface marking, thin-feature distortion and material recovery can matter more than discharge stability; the supplied condition still controls support, finishing, and surface-integrity review.
Consider Another Route When
Use mechanical drilling when the tool can reach economically, laser drilling for suitable thin geometry, or Micro EDM for smaller precision holes.
Practical Next Step
Send the Gold drawing with condition, controlled geometry, tolerance, functional surface callouts, quantity, and inspection requirements. If the route is unclear, we will compare Small Hole EDM with the adjacent EDM or conventional process.
Practical Takeaway
Gold is compatible with Small Hole EDM when the feature matches the process access. The supplied condition determines support, finishing, surface control, and inspection.
Technical Reference
Use the values as planning references and define the functional requirement on the controlled drawing.
Use This Guide to Prepare Your RFQ
Contact us when your drawing and requirements are ready for review.
- Process: Small Hole EDM
- Material: Gold
- Drawing or part sketch
- Material grade
- Thickness / part size
- Quantity
STEP/STP, DXF, DWG, PDF, IGS/IGES or ZIP.
Confidential drawing review. NDA support available on request.