Using electrical discharge machining (EDM), it is possible to machine material that is difficult to machine by conventional machining technique as long as it is electrically conductive. The performance of EDM is highly dependent on the type of electrode being used, the power supply system, and the dielectric system. Copper�tungsten electrode combines the higher melting point of tungsten with the good electrical and thermal conductivity of copper, but it is difficult to manufacture due to the variation in melting point and zero miscibility of copper with tungsten. Thus, newly modified copper�tungsten�silicon (Cu�WC�Si) electrode was synthesized using ball milling method. The method was used to synthesize the new electrode material due to the possibility to overcome the problems encountered in alloying materials which have a large variation in melting temperature or low miscibility at low temperatures. Taguchi method is the main statistical tool used to design and analyse ball milling and machining processes. Material removal rate and electrode wear are the parameters used for comparing the performance between the existing copper�tungsten and new developed electrode. Milling results show a clear change in the thickness of crystalline and d-spacing of the milled powder. The performances of Cu�WC�Si electrode in machining of hardened die steel show an improvement in MRR and EW compared with that achieved by using Cu�W electrode when it is milled for less than 10 h. © 2017, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.