Why are Metal Disintegrators Sometimes Called Spark Eroders?

Spark eroders use the process of spark erosion, also referred to as spark machining, or die sinking to remove material from a part with electrical discharges.  This modern machining process is responsible for many of the manufactured processes that exist today. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) has a long history which has led to significant breakthroughs in technology. While EDM has a variety of applications, MDM has the targeted ability to remove broken bolts, broken pins, broken drills, and other broken tooling in minutes. Although metal disintegrators are in a sub-category of Electrical Discharge Machining called  Metal Disintegration Machining, the process is still considered spark erosion, hence the name spark eroder.  Part of this name has to do with the sparks that are created by this process, erosion obviously refers to the process which allows broken tooling to be removed with these machines.  The term spark erosion is more popular in countries like England and India. This term is used because the principal is more commonly understood under this name than “metal disintegrator”.  

In fact, Electro Arc used the term to refer to our own machines between 2008 and 2018.  Uni-Tek had a patent on the name “Tap-Zapper” which became associated with many of these machines as well.  Electro Arc kept the patent for a short time but also used the term to describe many of our AC metal disintegrating machines.  We find that these terms can be confusing and have made an effort to clarify each machine’s model and its features to help you choose the best metal disintegrator for your application.