A major advance in the manufacture of dies and punches has been the use of wirecut EDM. This die is part of a three-unit pierce die assembly.

The complete assembly includes 32 dies, 32 punches and 16 stripper plates. Each unit was produced in a single-step wirecut EDM process, eliminating the problem of transfer-error.
Done conventionally, this project would require approximately $600 in special cutters. The close tolerances required to match dies and punches would create additional expenses in scrap. For instance, each pierce die features five dowel pin holes and five slots, which must line up precisely. However, conventional machining would require jig grinding the holes on a separate machine, making alignment difficult.

The one-step wirecut EDM process aligned holes and slots precisely, resulting in zero scrap. In addition, no special cutters were needed. Wirecut EDM also saved time. Conventional machining would require 544 hours for complete production of the 32 die details. Single-head EDM would take longer, though it would be at a far lower cost than conventional machining. The job was completed using a five-head machine in only 228 hours less than half the time required by conventional machining. By reducing operating costs, wirecut EDM generates added savings for die users.