Process & Material
Platinum Small Hole EDM Drilling Feasibility Review
Platinum 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. Platinum is a dense, corrosion-resistant precious metal with high value and relatively soft handling behavior; the supplied condition affects support, discharge energy, finishing, and inspection.
Quick Answer
Small Hole EDM is suitable for Platinum 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 dense, corrosion-resistant precious metal with high value and relatively soft handling behavior. 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 Platinum condition, then set tolerance, finish, support, and inspection from the controlled feature rather than the whole part.
Risks to Manage
For Small Hole EDM, material accounting, surface marking and recovery of cut-off stock can outweigh ordinary process concerns. The far end of the hole can drift even when the entry diameter and start position remain stable between the stable entry region and the far-side exit, especially around high-value edges, recovered slugs and mark-sensitive surfaces. The practical failure in Platinum is exit deformation, contact-surface damage or avoidable material loss. For Platinum, use protected fixturing, minimize unnecessary stock removal and maintain a controlled recovery and handling procedure. Measure the full entry-to-exit result after breakthrough and cleaning; document geometry, handling marks, material loss and recovery records for Platinum.
How Small Hole EDM Works on Platinum
Small Hole EDM advances a rotating tubular electrode through Platinum 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. |
How This Material Behaves
Platinum is dense, soft, highly corrosion resistant, and expensive. In EDM, this means fixture pressure and handling can damage the part more easily than the spark process, while unnecessary overcut wastes high-value material. Use nonmarking support, minimize roughing allowance, and clean functional surfaces without altering the final geometry. For Small Hole EDM, material accounting, surface marking and recovery of cut-off stock can outweigh ordinary process concerns. 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 Platinum, 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.
Platinum 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 and work-hardened.
- 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 Platinum, material accounting, surface marking and recovery of cut-off stock can outweigh ordinary process concerns; 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 Platinum 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
Platinum 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: Platinum
- 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.