Abstract: A tool carousel is provided comprising a carousel wheel mounted on a shaft of the tool carousel, a series of holders mounted to and distributed around the periphery of the carousel wheel to hold, respectively, a series of individually removable tools. Carousel locator formations are distributed at intervals around the carousel wheel, whereby the carousel wheel can be rotated or indexed to any desired rotational position corresponding to a selected one of the tools. The carousel wheel of the tool carousel comprises several individual elements, each of a molded plastic material, arranged in a ring side-by-side with each other around the shaft, each element extending radially outwardly from the shaft. A radially outer part of each element is connected or joined to a correspondingly radially outer part of each of two adjacent elements, one on either side thereof, the elements having portions of the carousel locator formations formed integrally therewith and having the holders formed integrally therewith.

Abstract: A method and apparatus control relative movement between an electrode of an DM machine and a workpiece. The method provides for positioning each point of a path of relative movement between the electrode and the workpiece by the distance of the point from an axis of rotation, rotating the workpiece, positioning the point also by an angle through which the workpiece is rotated, memorizing the position of each point of the path, and repeating the steps of positioning the points. The apparatus includes a rotatable work table driven by a servo motor and encoder to rotate the table to a desired angle. A device for polarizing the workpiece is provided to avoid interference with the rotation of the table on which the workpiece is mounted. The apparatus further includes machinery for translating the work table or the electrode along an axis that intersects the axis of rotation for the table.