Method of and apparatus for electrical machining with a vibrating wire electrode

In an apparatus for electrical-machining an electrically conductive workpiece, having a continuous wire-form electrode adapted to be axially transported continuously from a supply side to a takeup side while continuously traversing the workpiece and defining a machining gap therewith supplied with a machining liquid;

• power supply means for passing an electrical machining current between the workpiece and the wire-form electrode through the machining gap to electroerosively remove material from the workpiece;
• means for imparting a vibration to the wire-form electrode in the region of the machining gap transversely to the axis of the electrode;
• and machining feed means for relatively displacing the workpiece and the wire-form electrode transversely to the axis of the electrode along a predetermined cutting path corresponding to a desired contour to be formed in the workpiece, the improvement which comprises control means for controlling the amplitude of the vibration imparted to the wire-form electrode as a function of the shape of said cutting path, and sensing means operatively connected to said machining feed means for providing a sensing signal representing the shape of said cutting path, said control means being responsive to said sensing signal for controlling the amplitude of the vibration imparted to the wire-form electrode.