# US 2025/0018487 A1 · Electrode wire > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0018487 A1 - Document ID: US20250018487A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/710,737 - Filed: 2022-09-29 - Published: 2025-01-16 - Earliest claimed: 2021-11-16 - Assignees: Thermocompact - Applicants: Thermocompact - Inventors: Michel Ly; Pierro Cadio - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250018487A1 ## CPC - B23H 7/08: Wire electrodes - B32B 15/01: all layers being exclusively metallic {(making layered metal workpieces by pressure cladding B23K20/22; making coatings with a metallic material characterised by its composition C23C30/00)} - C22C 9/04: with zinc as the next major constituent - C22C 18/02: with copper as the next major constituent - C22F 1/08: of copper or alloys based thereon - C22F 1/165: {of zinc or cadmium or alloys based thereon} - C23C 28/02: only coatings {only including layers} of metallic material - C23C 28/021: {including at least one metal alloy layer} - C23C 28/023: {only coatings of metal elements only} - C25D 5/50: by heat-treatment - B23H: WORKING OF METAL BY THE ACTION OF A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT ON A WORKPIECE USING AN ELECTRODE WHICH TAKES THE PLACE OF A TOOL; SUCH WORKING COMBINED WITH OTHER FORMS OF WORKING OF METAL (processes for the electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings, electroforming, or apparatus therefor C25D; processes for the electrolytic removal of material from objects C25F; manufacturing printed circuits using precipitation techniques to apply the conductive material to form the desired conductive pattern H05K3/18) - B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) - C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00) - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR ## Abstract An electrode wire, for electrical discharge machining, includes a metal core, and, on the metal core, a coating including one or more textured zones of copper-zinc alloy. Each of these textured zones is formed solely of an entanglement of copper-zinc gamma phase alloy and copper-zinc epsilon phase alloy. Inside each textured zone of copper-zinc alloy, the majority of the copper-zinc gamma phase alloy has a lamellar texture in which the spaces between the strips of copper-zinc gamma phase alloy are filled with the copper-zinc epsilon phase alloy. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrode wire for electrical discharge machining, said electrode wire including: a metal core, and on the metal core a coating comprising one or more textured zones of copper-zinc alloy, each of said textured zones being formed exclusively by an entanglement of gamma phase copper-zinc alloy and epsilon phase copper-zinc alloy, wherein inside each textured zone of copper-zinc alloy the majority of the gamma phase copper-zinc alloy is in the form of a lamellar texture in which the interstices between the lamellae consisting of gamma phase copper-zinc alloy are filled by the epsilon phase copper-zinc alloy. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrode wire as claimed in claim 1 in which the coating includes a first layer of copper-zinc alloy that extends over the entire periphery of the core, each textured zone of copper-zinc alloy being situated inside this first layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electrode wire as claimed in claim 2 in which the first layer forms the surface layer of the electrode wire with the result that each textured zone of copper-zinc alloy is flush with the exterior face of the electrode wire. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The electrode wire as claimed in claim 2 in which the first layer includes fractures which in a cross section of the electrode wire mechanically separate the various textured zones of copper-zinc alloy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electrode wire as claimed in claim 1, in which the coating comprises successively from the core to the exterior of the electrode wire: a second, homogeneous layer of copper-zinc alloy formed exclusively by gamma phase copper-zinc alloy, and the first layer formed directly on the second layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electrode wire as claimed in claim 1, in which the thickness of the first layer of copper-zinc alloy is greater than 2 μm and the greatest width in a cross section of the electrode wire of each textured zone of copper-zinc alloy is greater than 5 μm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electrode wire as claimed in claim 1, in which: each lamella of the lamellar texture extends in a cross-section of the electrode wire mainly along a respective median trajectory, and for most of the lamellae of the lamellar texture the mean thickness of the lamella along its median trajectory is less than 1 μm or 0.5 μm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electrode wire as claimed in claim 7 in which the maximum width of most of the interstices between two lamellae is less than 1 μm or 0.5 μm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method of manufacturing an electrode wire conforming to claim 1, wherein this method includes the following steps: a) producing on a metal wire blank a coating having the capacity to form a delta phase copper-zinc alloy layer when its temperature is between 559° C. and 700° C. inclusive, then b) heating said coating to a temperature between 559° C. and 700° C. inclusive and maintaining the coating at that temperature until a delta phase copper-zinc alloy layer is obtained, then c) as soon as the delta phase copper-zinc alloy layer is obtained, carrying out a first cooling that maintains the temperature of this copper-zinc alloy layer that was in the delta phase at a temperature below 559° C. and greater than 350° C. during a duration d1 between durations d1min and d1max, where: the duration d1min is the minimum duration during which the temperature of the delta phase copper-zinc alloy must be maintained between 559° C. and 350° C. so that: some of the delta phase copper-zinc alloy is transformed into gamma phase copper-zinc alloy and forms a lamellar texture of gamma phase copper-zinc alloy that contains most of the gamma phase copper-zinc alloy, and in parallel with this, the remainder of the delta phase copper-zinc alloy is transformed into epsilon phase copper-zinc alloy that fills the interstices between the lamellae of the gamma phase copper-zinc alloy lamellar texture, and the duration d1max is the duration beyond which the lamellar texture copper-zinc alloy disappears to give way to a sub-layer 90% of the weight of which is formed by gamma phase copper-zinc alloy, then d) immediately after the duration d1 has elapsed carrying out a second cooling that reduces the temperature of the lamellar texture to 30° C. in less than 0.05 s. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method as claimed in claim 9 in which the duration d1min is greater than or equal to 0.1 s and the duration d1max is less than or equal to 1.5 s. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method as claimed in claim 9, in which: the copper concentration on a surface layer of the wire blank is greater than 50 atomic percent or 60 atomic percent, and producing the coating includes producing directly on this surface layer of the wire blank a layer the zinc concentration of which is greater than 98 atomic percent. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as claimed in claim 11 in which step b) consists in placing the wire blank on which the coating has been produced in a furnace at 600° C. for 6 s.