There are many degrees of electrode fabrication,and a moldmaker’s first step is to decide what level of participation he or she wants to have. He poses the following questions:

1) Do you want blanks made for your shop so it can do its own form machining?

2) Do you need a company to only supply the machining of your graphite to your specs?

3) Do you want a company with full CAD/CAM capabilities?

4) Do you want a company that cannot only do the machining, but help with the processin

5) Do you want a company that can do all of the above, plus walk you through your job, make suggestions on what graphites to use, what electrodes will be needed and what is the most efficient way to process?there are many companies that offer basic machining and blanks, but the list becomes shorter for companies that not only do basic machining, but also are capable of handling the mold-makers’ needs at the next level.