Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for submerged wire EDM. The system includes a workpiece, a build plate, and a carrier plate, and a portable cart with rails supporting the carrier plate. The cart rails rotate the carrier plate into an inverted position via gravity. The cart includes a powered lift for positioning the carrier plate for loading. The EDM machine includes a support positioned at a height for loading of the inverted carrier plate from the portable build plate cart, a clamping system to secure the loaded carrier plate, an EDM cutting wire, a cutting unit that when driven by a servo motor moves the reciprocating cutting wire across a face of the inverted build plate; and a submersion tank containing water to submerge the workpiece so that when parts are cut from the inverted build plate, the parts fall to the bottom of the submersion tank.