How He Turned One EDM Machine Into a 20-Person Shop | The Impractical Machinists 51

Ron Gobbels, CEO of Kam Wire EDM Technologies located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, joins the guys for a conversation that covers a lot more than just wire EDM. From growing up in the trade under an old school German mentor, to making a scary leap into shop ownership and watching the work dry up almost immediately — Ron shares the real story of building a specialty machining business from the ground up. He also breaks down everything you've ever wanted to know about wire EDM — how it actually works, what it can and can't do, and whether it belongs in your shop. Timestamps: 0:00 — Introductions 0:49 —Why Ron diversified in 2019 8:26 — Ron's background — from old school tool & die to cowboy to EDM shop owner 11:00 — How Kam Wire EDM started and the scariest month of his life 16:31 — How Ron connected with Ian Sandusky 22:15 — What is wire EDM and how does it actually work? 28:16 — Crashes, floods and EDM horror stories 36:47 — Fixturing and cutting different materials 44:51 — Tolerances and what affects accuracy 51:40 — Should you have a wire EDM in your home shop? 55:25 — What to look for when buying a wire EDM machine 1:05:54 — The thickest and thinnest parts Ron has ever cut 1:09:20 — Can EDM replace grinding and milling? 1:11:42 — Do they take walk-ins? 1:16:46 — Ron's impractical tip: never stop innovating Find KAM WIRE EDM here: https://www.kamwireedm.com/ Connect with the hosts on Instagram: Patrick Mcclintock: IG:   / job_shopper_tn   or PM@Job Shopper TN Cameron Graves: IG:   / machiningiscool   or PM@Machiningiscool Bradley Thomas: IG:   / marvelmachining   or PM @marvel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love! Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum here: https://www.practicalmachinist.com/fo... Or listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! 📍 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7g0wFLl... 📍 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Practical Machinist is the largest and most engaged #metalworking community across the web. With more than 200,000 registered members and 400,000+ social media followers, Practical Machinist is the easiest way to learn new techniques, get answers quickly, and discuss common challenges with your peers. Visit Practical Machinist today to join the community and start connecting with your peers. Become a Practical Machinist member (https://www.practicalmachinist.com/) Like us on Facebook (  / practicalmachinist  ) Follow us on Instagram (  / practicalmachinist  ) Follow us on Twitter (  / prac_machinist  ) Follow us on TikTok (  / practicalmachinist  ) Connect with us on LinkedIn (  / practical-machinist  ) #machining #podcast #cncmachine