IN ITS BRIEF HISTORY, WIRE EDM TECHNOLOGY HAS GROWN AT AN INCREDIBLE PACE. WHILE INITIALLY CONFINED MAINLY WITHIN THE TOOLING INDUSTRIES, IT HAS SINCE ESTABLISHED ITSELF FIRMLY IN THE AREAS OF PRODUCTION AND AUTOMATION. ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT YET BEEN EXPLOITED TO ITS FULL CAPABILITIES, THIS PROCESS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW IN SALES AND IN USE WHILE OFFERING NEW MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS TO EXISTING AND FUTURE PROBLEMS. THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE PRESENT LEVELS OF THE INDUSTRY'S TECHNOLOGY IN MACHINE DESIGN, CUTTING SPEEDS, COMPUTERS, POWER SUPPLIES, AND CONTROL SYSTEMS. TRENDS IN EDM TECHNOLOGY AND THE U.S. MARKET ARE ALSO EXAMINED TO DETERMINE THE PROGRESS AND DIRECTIONS OF WIRE EDM.