An electromagnetic shock wave generator composed of an excitation source and a transducer was designed and fabricated. The operating principles of the excitation source and the transducer were analyzed. The fundamental frequency of the transducer vibration system was calculated and measured. The overtones frequencies of the transducer were obtained based on the relationship between the fundamental frequency and the overtone frequencies of the fixed edge vibration plate. In practical applications, the transducer operating in the higher frequencies should have sufficient electro acoustic conversion efficiency and high power output. Thus in this operating system, the obtained high order overtone frequencies of the vibration system were used as the matching frequency for electromechanical coupling to satisfy this requirement. The test results indicated that the designed electromagnetic shock wave generator satisfied with the requirements of the intended design.