This study investigates the non-traditional manufacturing process of dry wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) in which liquid dielectric is replaced by a gaseous medium. Wire EDM experiments of thin workpieces were conducted both in wet and dry EDM conditions to examine the effects of spark cycle (T), spark on-time ($T_{on}$), thickness of work pieces, and work material on machining performance. The material removal rate (MRR) in the dry wire EDM case was much lower than that in the wet wire EDM case. In addition, the thickness of workpiece and work-material were found to be critical factors influencing the MRR for dry EDM process. The relative ratios of spark, arc and short circuit were also calculated and compared to examine the effectiveness of processes of dry and wet wire EDM.