EDM - Mitsubishi and GF AgieCharmilles technology update

Precision engineering business EDM Zone, based in Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, is the first UK user of the Mitsubishi BA24 CNC wire EDM, available from sole and exclusive UK agent HK Technologies (01788 821714). The company has been making use of the technology since August of last year. Established in 2008 by Paul Wilson, following a career in EDM that has so far spanned several decades, the Mitsubishi BA24 is the company's most recent technology acquisition and is the second Mitsubishi at EDM Zone. The new machine offers large travels in X, Y and Z, and this proved pivotal in the decision to buy. It is also attractively priced and features the new V350-II anti-electrolysis power supply that provides just the right level of cutting performance for the larger components. "We needed a physically larger machine to process big components more cost effectively, particularly as we can run smaller parts simultaneously within the same working envelope and the same set-up," Mr Wilson highlights. "Previously, we would have to run large jobs on one of our existing wire EDMs, often overriding the door switch, as the component would be too large for the table. Furthermore, each part required several set-ups to complete. The time we've saved by investing in the Mitsubishi BA24 is nothing short of considerable." The BA24 came by way of recommendation from HK Technologies – the company that sold the company its first Mitsubishi EDM when Mr Wilson visited the MACH 2008 exhibition at the Birmingham NEC. Prior to that, the company had used competitor machines. Image: A Mitsubishi BA24 CNC wire EDM offers EDM Zone a larger capacity unit PREFERRED CHOICE "I have been in this industry for 35 years – I was there at the emergence of wire EDM technology – and, to be honest, Mitsubishi would have been my preferred choice from the outset of establishing my business, but I wrongly assumed I would not be able to afford their machines," he says. "After a visit to the HK Technologies stand at MACH, I was pleased to discover they are very competitively priced." The meeting at MACH led to the installation of a Mitsubishi FA-10VS Advance wire EDM. Capable of a class-leading machining speed of 505 mm²/min in hardened D2 steel, the machine is claimed to be the world's fastest high accuracy wire cut EDM and has reduced cycle times at EDM Zone dramatically. "Depending on the application, some jobs are twice as fast as they would be on our non-Mitsubishi wire EDMs," confirms Mr Wilson. As well as providing a toolmaking service, EDM Zone also offers precision subcontract component manufacturing services to a host of industries, including Formula One, medical and power generation. In fact, the company is now the preferred supplier to a large power generation company, an achievement Mr Wilson in part attributes to the performance of its Mitsubishi machines. However, around 50% of revenue at EDM Zone is generated by the offshore oil and gas sector, which is a big slice of the northeast's economy. Despite the 350 by 250 mm X-Y machining range on the FA-10VS being more than adequate for a large proportion of jobs, the company decided that its increasing oil and gas workload necessitated a larger machine. PERFECT SOLUTION With an X-Y range of 600 by 400 mm, the Mitsubishi BA24 offered the perfect solution, especially with an increased Z-axis height of 420 mm (against 220 mm on the FA-10VS). "The BA24 has been great for a number of reasons," says Mr Wilson. "For example, the high build quality of Mitsubishi technology means we have no problems running lights-out manufacture. This is one of our biggest assets, as it makes us competitive with anyone in the world. This morning, for instance, I arrived to find the BA24 had completed 20 high quality parts in a 14-hour lights-out period. This is more difficult to achieve on budget machines where functionality such as automatic threading is less reliable. "While we have found programming very user friendly, if we ever have an applications query we get unbelievable levels of support from HK Technologies," he confirms. "Responsive support is fundamental to small businesses, and I'm pleased to say the team at HK is second to none." So what's next? Well, according to Mr Wilson, continued growth in oil and gas has caught him by surprise, with regard to component size. Among the recent trends is an influx of tall components – too tall even for the BA24. EXPONENTIAL GROWTH "We have enjoyed exponential growth in the past three years and there is no sign of things slowing down," he says. "I am now looking at investment in a yet larger Mitsubishi wire EDM, possibly an FA-30V Advance, which offers 670 mm in the Z-axis. We are also considering a CNC die-sink EDM to replace the manual machine we are currently running, as well as robots to automate some of our processes." In addition, EDM Zone is currently contemplating relocation to a nearby unit some three times bigger than its existing facility. Box item EDM developments in brief GF AgieCharmilles (02476 538666) has launched its new, next generation range of high performance wire EDM machine tools: the CUT 200, CUT 300 and CUT 400. These replace GF AgieCharmilles' range of CleanCut wire-cut EDM machines, first introduced in 2002/3 and represent, according to Mark Lasseter, applications team supervisor at Agie Charmilles: "A quantum leap forward in wire EDM machine tool productivity, performance, versatility, reliability, economy and ergonomics." All machines have a top cutting speed up to 500 mm2/min and are equipped with GF AgieCharmilles' ECONOTEC technology, which allows manufacturers to reduce part cycle times by using large (and cheaper) 0.3 mm diameter wires for rough cutting. Using larger diameter wires not only results in faster cutting and a reduction in the number of passes required to produce a part, it also helps reduce consumable costs, which have a direct impact on reducing the cost-per-part. Apart from ECONOTEC, the machines feature a number of 'smart' technology elements: ICP (Integrated Collision Protection) on X, Y, U and V axes; ECONOWATT energy-saving technology; ThermoCut fast wire threading; POWER-EXPERT, which optimises the power required for roughing operations; SURFACE-EXPERT, which ensures that homogenous surface finishes are produced during finishing operations, irrespective of a part's shape or features. The established Taper-EXPERT, CT-EXPERT and Profil-EXPERT capabilities also feature. But the new machines have retained many of the technology features of the CleanCut models. These include the CUT 200/300 and 400's digital CC generator, which delivers cutting speeds up to 500 mm2/min and, from a quality and performance perspective, is ideal for machining a diverse range of materials to exacting accuracy standards and surface finishes (Ra 0.1 µm). Image: High quality finishes, down Ra 0.1 µm, can be achieved Image: Another example of high quality EDM work achieved on CUT machines First published in Machinery, June 2011