In conventional wire cutting electric discharge machine, such as that disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent No. S55-46806, a wire electrode is firmly attached to a transport mechanism and transported along a straight path which includes a processing section.

This object is achieved in the present invention by the provision of a wire cutting electric discharge machine comprising; a guide roller which guides a wire electrode laterally away from the area of process of the discharge machine, the guide roller being provided below a workpiece which is being processed in the discharge machine; a transport mechanism which transports laterally the wire electrode from the guide roller further away from the area of process of the discharge machine; and a withdrawal mechanism positioned at a portion following the transport mechanism, and which engages and withdraws the wire electrode transported by the transport mechanism.

As a result of this configuration, when the wire electrode being transported from a wire feed device of the wire cutting electric discharge machine passes through a lower wire guide device and proceeds downward, the wire electrode is guided by means of the guide roller and is transported laterally away from the area of process by the transport device which may comprise a transport belt. The wire electrode is then withdrawn by being pulled, firmly attached to a moving roller of the withdrawal mechanism at the down stream end of the transport device.