非传统加工工艺（如放电加工）越来越多地生产高温合金、陶瓷、塑料、纤维增强复合材料、木材和纺织品的复杂零件，应用于航空航天、汽车和电子行业。为了提高电火花加工工艺的应用潜力和知识库，世界范围内进行了许多技术开发和研究尝试。本文简要回顾了对未来制造技术至关重要的电火花加工研究和技术的最新进展。

NONTRADITIONAL MACHINING PROCESSES (SUCH AS ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING) ARE INCREASINGLY PRODUCING COMPLEX PARTS OF SUPERALLOYS, CERAMICS, PLASTICS, FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES, WOOD, AND TEXTILES IN A VARIETY OF APPLICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE AEROSPACE, AUTOMOBILE, AND ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES. MANY TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND RESEARCH ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE WORLD WIDE TO ENHANCE THE APPLICATION POTENTIAL AND KNOWLEDGE BASE OF ELECTRODISCHARGE (EDM) MACHINING PROCESSES. THIS PAPER PRESENTS A BRIEF REVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY OF EDM THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO THE FUTURE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY.