Contact member for supplying electrical current to an electro-erosion wire electrode

A contact device for the supply of electrical current to an electrode wire operating in an electro-erosion machine during the machining operation comprising:

• an electrically conductive body having a pair of spaced apart arm portions defining a slot therebetween, said body having a bore extending on a generally horizontal axis transversly across said pair of arm portions, said bore extending partially into at least one of said pair of arm portions to form a cavity;
• a pair of bearing members, each of said pair of bearing members mounted in said bore in a respective one of said pair of arm portions, each of said pair of bearing members having an aperture coaxial with said axis of said bore, one of said bearing members covering said cavity of said at least one of said pair of arm portions;
• a shaft of electrically conductive material rotatably mounted in said aperture of each of said pair of bearing members;
• and having an end portion extending into said cavity;
• a roller of electrically conductive material fixedly mounted on said shaft in said slot between said pair of bearings, said roller mounted to rotate with said shaft, said roller contacting said electrode wire,
• a conducting fluid sealingly enclosed in said cavity, said conducting fluid covering said end portion of said shaft such that electrical current is conducted by said conducting fluid from said body to said shaft and thereby to said roller and said electrode wire.