Erodex has a new Sodick AG60L spark erosion machine from Sodi-Tech EDM at its state-of-the-art machining centre in Halesowen. The machine brings vital extra capacity to the facility, which Erodex operates as an R&D manufacturing centre in support of its customers, around 75% of whom serve the aerospace and IGT (industrial gas turbine) sectors.

While Erodex already had a Sodick AQ35L, the company identified a clear need for a second die-sink EDM machine, as head of strategic capabilities Chris Grice explains: “In line with our growth over the past five years we’ve witnessed a requirement for more technical support among our customer base. At Erodex, we can see there’s real added value in providing customers with outsourced expertise.”

The company can of course simply manufacture electrodes to customer drawings, but thanks to its experience in the aerospace and IGT sectors, Erodex has deep knowledge of what customers are trying to achieve with regard to component geometry. As a result, design and production advice from the company is today a pivotal part of its offer and provides important market differentiation.

Erodex refers to its turnkey cost-per-part programme as ‘Application Assist’, an offer that is now even more efficient thanks to the arrival of the Sodick AG60L, which features linear drive technology and a direct link between the drive and control to ensure fast servo response and optimal spark gaps.

“Even though our customer base uses a variety of EDM machines, when it came to extending our capacity we chose another Sodick because of its reliable motion control,” explains Grice. “We get really good repeatability, which is vital in our line of work, particularly when we have multiple parts loaded in a fixture.”

For further information
www.sodi-techedm.co.uk