Anca has made available its LaserPlus system on the company’s EDGe machine. The EDGe is used to erode PCD cutting tools, which in turn are used in the aerospace and automotive industries.

“The LaserPlus technology on our EDGe machine will help customers achieve much better accuracy and reduce waste,” says Anca product manager Duncan Thomson. “It ensures all tools in a batch stay within target tolerances, regardless of external influences such as wheel [electrode] wear or machine growth due to thermal variation. The result is improved tool consistency, quality and reduced scrap tools.”
Anca’s EDGe machine includes its proprietary eSpark generator for optimal PCD erosion results. This means that on the one-wheel spindle, two wheel packs support both erosion and grinding operations. The addition of the LaserPlus further enhances the machine’s capabilities for customers.
First introduced on its tool-grinding machines, the LaserPlus system allows newly ground tools to be automatically measured on the machine using a non-contact Blum laser system. Then if required, compensation is automatically applied to subsequent tools in the batch.
“For customers manufacturing PCD cutting tools, the laser technology provides real value due to the unique challenges involved with the process of electro-discharge grinding [EDG],” says Thomson. “Without touching the PCD cutting edge, LaserPlus is able to measure a cutting-tool feature before the final erosion pass. By doing this operation, the technology can identify any variation, which may, for example, be the result of thermal drift or wear on the electrode, from the nominal size and account for this in the final finishing pass. The result is that the finished tool geometry is guaranteed to be on size.”
For further information www.anca.com