No idea what I am doing but going to build a Wire EDM from scratch to make custom dies...

[jimbo fury]

I don't know what your experience is in tool & die work so maybe you can pull this off. But, in order to operate at the clearances you suggest, you are going to need an incredibly tight and rigid setup.

I guess a little spoiler alert. The dies can be slightly under sized. I am making the dies out of A11 tool steel as it better maintains the original machined size after heat treat and tempering processes. After this I am going to apply a ZirN coating and this coating can be applied in a few layers to achieve the final size dimension. So I am not solely relying on the EDM for end result die size. Just getting it as close as I can.

Ultimately, I want sets of dies with this coating and when wear etc occurs I can electro-strip the coating off and re-apply the coating and never have to make or buy dies again.

ZirN coating has Rc80 and a coefficient of friction of .05 just a little less than Teflon.

The dies will have a .0002 chamfer as well to maximize cutting/tool life etc. I have thought and planned this out I just don't have the equipment to make what I need.

 

[JimDawson]

OK, it sounds like you have a good plan. The more common way to make the dies is to heat treat first then finish by EDM or grinding.

 

[jimbo fury]

OK, it sounds like you have a good plan. The more common way to make the dies is to heat treat first then finish by EDM or grinding.

Agree, but this way I can creep up to exactly, or near exactly what I want. I made tons of dies, just circles to test and find the optimum size before this. This is a special project and unique project. I also need to have this done very soon.....