University installs Excetek wire EDM

Supplied by Warwick Machine Tools, an Excetek V650 wire EDM has been installed at the University of Wolverhampton.

Graduates working on the UWR Racing team at the university, which runs a competitive car in the Formula 3 series, are using the machine to produce critical parts.
At the University of Wolverhampton, the Excetek V650 is used primarily to remove printed parts, created using additive manufacturing technology, from their supporting structures. An accurate cut must be provided in demanding conditions, with raw un-sintered powder material often left within cavities inside the component, which presents further challenges. The Excetek V650G was chosen because it can meet all these demands.
A non-contact process, wire EDM does not induce stress into the raw material; it will cut anything that is conductive. Even super alloys can be cut as easily as mild steel. Using 5-axis cutting allows different profiles to be created on the top and bottom side of the part. Components measuring up to 1000 mm can be cut on the Excetek V650.
Versatility of process is another benefit of wire EDM. For example, users can produce a gear on an Excetek EDM machine to an ‘as-ground’ finish. Conceivably, this means that users could load a heat-treated blank on the worktable, and cut the internal spline and outside gear profile such that the part would come off ready to use. For the students at Wolverhampton, this flexibility allows them to think outside the box.
For further information www.warwickmachinetools.co.uk

Sodick provides 30% more speed at HLP

Halesowen-based HLP Engineering Solutions, a specialist in press tools for the automotive industry, has invested in another Sodick wire erosion machine from Sodi-Tech EDM. The large Sodick AQ750L Premium not only provides more size and time capacity, but greater precision and around 25-30% more speed than the machine it replaced.

“We started with no premises, machines or money, and would simply cold-call to get work,” explains co-director Luke Hobbs. “A friend offered us some space in his unit and we bought a few pre-owned Sodick wire EDMs from auction. We were familiar with Sodick machines from previous employment and they are tried and tested as far as we’re concerned. We also know the guys at Sodi-Tech and the level of support they provide.”
Progress at HLP soon accelerated. After a brief stint in a rented unit the company acquired its own premises in Halesowen, with three pre-owned Sodick wire EDMs in place. However, faced with yet more demand for its services, the company recently sought to expand its capacity even further.
“Along with the size, the AQ750L Premium has introduced us to new-generation technologies such as linear drives, which compare favourably against our other machines that feature ballscrews,” says Hobbs. “It means that surface quality is enhanced and energy consumption is reduced.
“The Jumbo feeder on the AQ750L Premium means we can load large spools of wire and run some of our longer jobs unmanned, out of normal working hours, which we are insured to do,” adds Hobbs. “This is one example where the new machine has moved us on to the next level, along with precision and speed. I would estimate the new Sodick is 25-30% faster than the machine it replaced.”
For further information www.sodi-techedm.co.uk

Fanuc delivers reliability for tool manufacturer

As far as cutting tool manufacturers are considered, Lanarkshire-based Gilmour Tools has carved a niche in the local and export industry by manufacturing and supplying specialised cutters for the oil and gas, automotive, and aerospace sectors.

Producing indexable inserts and rotary tools from materials such as carbide, ceramic, PCD, PCBN and CBN, the Larkhall company also manufactures tool holders in-house.
Manufacturing bespoke solutions as opposed to ‘off-the-shelf’ product lines is how this Scottish manufacturer competes with the larger ‘economy-of-scale’ cutting tool OEMs. With all products designed to customer specifications, Gilmour Tools has an output in the region of 250,000 tools per annum, with upwards of 70% being exported. To keep pace with demand, the company has invested heavily in the latest EDM technology from Fanuc.
Commenting upon this relationship, Gary Gilmour says: “We started buying Fanuc machine tools over 20 years ago to replace creep-feed grinders, and we currently have a total of 11 Fanuc models on site. The latest arrival is the next-generation RoboCut C400-iB wire EDM machine. All of our Fanuc models run around the clock, seven days a week. The Fanuc service is second to none and the CNC is an easy-to-use universal system. This means that our staff can easily transition from one machine to the next, regardless of model or age.”
Referring to why the company has recently acquired the RoboCut C400-iB, Gilmour says: “The oil and gas market has grown dramatically, which is mostly overseas, so we knew we had to buy more machines and employ more people. Since our journey started with Fanuc, they have always been very helpful with regards to support, financing and payment plans.”
For further information www.fanuc.eu

Cut P series boosts wire EDM speeds by 20%

GF Machining Solutions has introduced its latest AgieCharmilles Cut P series of wire EDM machines. The Cut P 350/550/800/1250 models are equipped with efficient power generators and feature a robust design and build, intuitive HMIs, and several automation options for lights-out/unattended operations.

With Intelligent Power Generator (IPG) digital technology, the EDM machines deliver ultra-fine surface finishes (Ra 0.1) and can improve cutting speeds by up to 20%, says the company.
Several ‘Expert’ systems further optimise the IPG’s cutting performance, especially when undertaking demanding and challenging applications. For instance, POWER-Expert monitors and changes the power levels required to machine parts with variable heights. This system protects parts from unstable conditions at high cutting speeds. Simultaneously, the system controls spark parameters during finishing operations to provide high-quality surface finishes on variable height parts. This capability maximises part finishes and reduces the need for secondary bench work.
Regardless of workpiece height, another Expert system – WIRE-Expert – is used to control wire wear and achieve continuous geometrical accuracy from all directions.
For part profile accuracy, PROFIL-Expert automatically adapts the machining parameters and cutting path for rough and skim passes to control fine details and ensure positioning and contour accuracies of ±2 µm, while TAPER-Expert technology cuts angles from 0 to 30° (45° as an option) to maximum Z heights.
TAPER-Expert corrects shifts of the Z reference position in real time, even when the taper angle is changing. The taper angle is also held to within 10 seconds on average, providing taper accuracy and geometry reference accuracy throughout the taper cut.
Cut P machines also feature GF Machining Solutions’ collision protection technology in the X, Y, U, V and Z axes.
For further information www.gfms.com

Reasons to use graphite electrodes

There has been a long-standing debate about whether graphite or copper is a better EDM electrode material for aerospace applications.

For this reason, Erodex has taken a closer look at the differences between the two materials and outlined reasons why graphite is likely to be the most appropriate for aerospace EDM needs.
Due to the wide range of graphite materials available, it is proven that some EDM grades are more economical than copper. Furthermore, most comparisons do not consider the cost of machining the electrode. Significant cost savings can be made choosing graphite over copper, generated through reduced machining times and speed of cut, less production time to create electrodes, faster EDM times and better throughput from EDM machines.
Graphite also offers a wide range of material characteristics in order to allow matching of the electrode material properties to the EDM application.
In addition, it should be noted that copper does not have the ability to handle current density as effectively as graphite, which performs exceptionally well at a high current density (even with complex geometry), allowing for various intricate machined details to be designed on the same electrode. The result is that the number of electrodes required to perform a job is reduced significantly.
Further reasons to select graphite over copper electrodes for aerospace applications include EDM performance, whereby graphite is able to achieve electrode wear of less than 1% in relation to the depth of cut, while working to more aggressive machine parameters. Moreover, fine-grain graphite electrodes are able to deliver similar surface finishes to that of copper, while offering much faster speeds and less wear.
For further information www.erodex.com