Submerged fast wire electrical discharge machining

A method for separating one or more parts of a workpiece from a build plate, comprising:

• manufacturing, using a 3D printing process, the workpiece, wherein the workpiece is attached to the build plate;
• attaching the build plate to a carrier plate, and placing the carrier plate onto a portable build plate cart, the portable build plate cart comprising build plate rails supporting the carrier plate, the build plate rails further rotatable around an axis to position the carrier plate into an inverted position, wherein the portable build plate cart further comprises a powered scissor lift to adjust a height of the inverted carrier plate for loading into an inverted wire EDM machine;
• rotating the carrier plate from an upright into an inverted position in the portable build plate cart;
• and
• sliding the inverted carrier plate from the portable build plate cart along a single axis into the inverted wire EDM machine, the inverted wire EDM machine comprising:
• a carrier plate support positioned at a height to provide sliding support along a single axis for loading of the inverted build plate from the portable build plate cart;
• a Z-axis unit comprising a clamping system to secure the loaded, inverted carrier plate;
• a reciprocating cutting wire spooled between two drums through wire guides, wherein during operation the reciprocating cutting wire is pulsed with electric current to erode a surface of the workpiece attached to the inverted build plate;
• a Y-axis wire transport movable along a single axis when driven by a servo motor to move the reciprocating cutting wire across a face of the inverted build plate;
• and
• a submersion tank containing deionized water to submerge the workpiece and the face of the inverted build plate;
• and
• operating the inverted wire EDM machine to separate one or more parts of the workpiece from the inverted build plate, wherein the separated parts fall to the bottom of the submersion tank.