Wire EDM and abrasive waterjet (AWJ) are highly complementary processes. The combination takes advantage of the speed of AWJ and the high accuracy of wire EDM. AWJ is used for rough cutting and wire EDM is used for finish cutting to tight tolerances and very fine surface finishes. One of the most promising applications for this combination is cutting aluminum because the advantage of roughing with AWJ and skim cutting with wire EDM are particularly strong for this material.