A wire electric discharge machine for machining a workpiece includes a handling device for handling core pieces produced by the machine during the machining of the workpiece and upper and lower wire guiding heads moveable with respect to each other and with respect to the workpiece. The handling device includes a gripper mounted in a fixed or movable relation to the upper wire guiding head. The gripper moves so as to face a produced core piece with its gripper base. The gripper includes a fluid inlet where fluid flow under positive pressure enters the gripper and a fluid outlet at the gripper base where the fluid flow exits the gripper. An interior of the gripper guides the fluid flow, producing a low pressure region at the gripper base as the fluid flow exits, generating lifting force to remove the produced core piece from the workpiece by movement of the gripper.