Abstract: An electric discharge machining apparatus in which at least either of a tool electrode or a workpiece is made of an anisotropic conductive material, includes, on a good conductive surface 20b of the anisotropic conductive material 2, a portion for connecting an isotropic conductive member 22. Electric discharge is generated on the good conductive surface 20b of the anisotropic conductive material 2. A conductive adhesive agent 23 is employed to bond the anisotropic conductive material 2 and the isotropic conductive member 22 to each other. The anisotropic conductive material is a pyrocarbon material. The pyrocarbon heat resolved carbon material is employed as a tool electrode material. Incombustible dielectric fluid, such as pure water, is employed as dielectric fluid.

Abstract: A surface treating apparatus rotates a rotating tool and moves a surface treating electrode relative to the tool via a rotating shaft driver and a Z-axis driver. A power source applies voltage to generate an electric discharge between the tool and the electrode, thereby forming a reforming layer on a peripheral flank and a rake face of the tool.

Abstract: An image processing device including a blocking section for dividing an input image into a plurality of blocks each consisting of N1.times.N2 (N1, N2: positive integers) picture elements; a block attribute determining section for determining an attribute of each block, the attribute being defined as one of a flat portion having substantially no density variation in each block, a semi-flat portion having a binary density distribution in each block, and an edge portion having a steep density variation in each block; a first coding section for coding each block of the flat portion; a second coding section for coding each block of the semi-flat portion; a third coding section for predictively coding the picture elements in each block of the edge portion; a fourth coding section for coding the attribute determined by the block attribute determining section; and a code assembling section for assembling codes obtained by the first to fourth coding sections.