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Wire consumption is one of the most critical components to impact the profitability of a wire EDM. It’s my belief that every WEDM owner should know the cost of their machine’s wire consumption, so I developed a wire consumption calculator that determines their spending for them (www.makino.com/wirecalc). Try out the calculator for yourself here - simply select your specific wire diameter in use, followed by your wire speeds, machining times, and the price you’re paying for a pound of wire. If this is your first time looking into wire consumption costs I think you’ll be surprised by the results. Makino has addressed wire consumption in the design of their new DUO series WEDMs, significantly reducing the wire unspooling rates without any loss in speed or accuracy. Our DUO customers have been reporting consumption savings as high as 60 percent! If you have any questions about the significance of wire consumption and what it means to your overall business, feel free to e-mail me at jeff.kiszonas@makino.com.

I was recently made aware of a new video clip on the internet comparing wire consumption of 2 WEDMs.  I have provided a link to this clip so you can check it out.  The video shows 2 WEDM machines during the cut.  The camera focuses on the wire spools as they unspool wire during the rough cut of the same part detail.  The difference in unspooling rates is pretty staggering.  According to the video, both machines performed about as well regarding cycle times, accuracy and finish, but one of the machines uses 55% less wire than other.  This can represent a huge amount of money over time.  For a shop that has a machine that uses this much more wire, and spends say $10,000 a year for wire, the lower wire consumption means that this shop could reduce their wire expense by about $5500 per year, at today's wire price of about $5/lb for brass wire.  Commodity prices are rising again, and that means the raw materials needed to make wire (copper and zinc) are at a higher price as well.  This will tend to drive the price of wire even higher than today's price of about $5/lb.  Who remembers the days of brass wire costing $7-8/lb?  Well, if the price of wire goes up, the cost savings will be even more.  The other way to look at it is if the price of wire goes up, and you use a machine that consumes more wire, you have to either raise the price of the parts you make for your customers, or you will realize lower profits.



Some will say that most WEDMs can be run at far lower wire speeds, which is true.  However, if these machines are set to lower wire feed rates, they will also see longer cycle times.  As wire feed rates are reduced, cutting speeds must also be reduced to avoid things like excessive wire breaks, inaccuracies, and poor surface finishes.

Makino has been working with their customers for several years, educating them on the added value provided by Makino WEDMs, that do indeed use far less wire to do the same job as other machines.  In today's extremely competitive business environment, who can afford not to consider a machine that has proven itself to save several thousand dollars each year in wire cost?  Especially if that machine can achieve results equal to or better than competitors that consume 30%-55% more wire.

I will be presenting a webinar on September 10 that will address this issue in detail.  In the meantime, you can contact me to receive a free wire consumption calculator that will allow you to input wire feeds, cutting speeds, and cost of wire per pound to see just how much wire is used, and how much you spend in wire, for any given job.

There's always a good feeling you get after reading an e-mail like this...

"It is a pleasure to write this e-mail. I wanted to express my gratitude for the support I've always received from all of my contacts with the people from SST Group. Mr. Dan Dotson keeps in frequent contact with me on any consumable items that I may need. He always finds time to call me at least weekly to provide updates on SST product updates or to offer encouragement as we navigate this difficult business cycle environment. Many thanks.

I would also like to tell you about the valuable support I receive from another of your highly qualified people. Kevin Most has probably been the biggest reason I have been successful with the investments I've made with Makino EDM's. Many, many numerous times I have clicked on his speed-dial on my cell phone over the last 2 to 3 yrs and have never not been able get in immediate contact with Kevin. I'm not talking about problems with my machines but rather application issues such as helping me by discussing the best way to burn select materials so I can quote a job, or complete a job or just enlighten me as to the capabilities of the SP43. I have one small customer that asks me to burn a shape in carbide that is actually a spline curve which often trips me up on the programming side and Kevin always finds a solution for me. Did you know that he helped me through one of these projects by exchanging e-mails while he was in Singapore last year? Yep, he found time between meetings, tours and training to get the info to me. Unbelievable. Ask him sometime how he worked me through a 4axis application for an exhaust nozzle on a jet engine that turned into a blanket order that lasted over a year and may repeat again this year.

Lately, I've been moving jobs from other wire edm's over to the Makinos to take advantage of using my 'HEAT' settings on quite thin but very rigid work pieces. I don't think 'Heat' is generally recommended for 1/4" or 3/8" thick work pieces however when the parts are in a rigid set-up and very poor flushing 'Heat' works very well.

I will not extend this email further with any more examples of how I've been supported. So let me conclude with this. Picture me in my shop, standing in front of the control on a SP43, cell phone up against my ear, saying "Kevin, how do I get it (the SP43) to do this" That says it all.

When I purchased my second Makino, I told Nick that I made my decision based on buying not just a good machine but also buying the Makino Team. I'm sure I'll feel the same when I'm ready for my third."

Sincerely,
Jack Lanphier Pres.
Lanko Industries, Inc.
Mentor, Ohio

Thanks for the e-mail Jack. It's a pleasure for all of us at Makino to serve our customers.

Single Source Technologies Introduces Topas Plus H.E.A.T. wire

Pine Brook, NJ--August 2008--Single Source Technologies, Consumables Group is proud to introduce a unique new Gamma phase wire, optimized to ensure the fastest possible part production while maintaining accuracy, Topas plus H.E.A.T..

This wire technology breakthrough is the result of two years of collaboration and testing by Makino and Berkenhoff at Berkenhoff's development facility in Germany. Berkenhoff is highly regarded for wire EDM products such as Cobra Cut, MegaCut and Bronco Cut.

Topas Plus H.E.A.T. is manufactured specifically to compliment Makino's H.E.A.T. Technology, but can also provide significantly faster machining speeds on all high performance wire EDMs. Initial results of tests utilizing Topas plus H.E.A.T. wire have seen increases in machining speeds by as much as 40 percent compared to traditional single coated wires.

Topas plus H.E.A.T. offers a unique approach to Gamma phase wires, utilizing a dual coating that provides more zinc content in the cutting zone, aiding the spark erosion process and providing superior straightness and cleanliness for automatic wire threading. When combining these properties with the Makino EDM features such as BellyWIZARD, H.E.A.T. (High Energy Applied Technology) and the newly developed SurfaceWIZARD, Topas plus H.E.A.T. delivers the most significant performance improvement provided by a coated wire to the EDM industry thus far.

Topas plus H.E.A.T. is available in 0.010 and 0.012-inch diameter wires on European and Asian style spools from Single Source Technologies, Consumables Group in North America. Learn more about Single Source Technologies at www.singlesourcetech.com.

Makino now offers a variety of wire guide solutions based on application needs - original split V guides for general EDM work and split C guides for high taper work, and PICO Precision guides for reliable, sustained AWT function when working with small holes, closely spaced small hole patterns, and precision tapers along changes in geometry, such as a stamping die with a variable land surface that requires accurate tapering along the land area.  These bullet points should help explain where each of the guide systems can be best utilized.

• Split Guides
• V-and-Flat guide
• Recommended for about 80-85% of EDM work
• Good results for taper angles up to 10 degrees
• Split “C” guide
• Recommended for taper work from 10 to 45 degrees
• Fast, easy maintenance
• PICO Precision Guides
• Similar to traditional round guides
• Recommended for variable land taper cuts in stamping work
• Recommended for auto threading of small holes
• Diameters <0.65mm (0.025”)
• Recommended for auto threading small holes in close proximity
• Diameters <0.65mm (0.025”)
• Hole centers closer than 1.5mm (0.060”)

For more information and assistance with choosing the right guide for your work, please contact EDM Applications Support at 888-MAKINO4 (625-4664).

Was speaking to a customer the other day who was having some issues using coated wires, so I thought I'd share this tidbit...

When using coated wires, you may want to evaluate and/or remove the felt wiper pads from the upper wire drive system on your machine.  Depending on what type and brand of coated wire used, the abrasiveness of the felt pads can sometimes start stripping the coating off the wire.  This is more evident when using the newer Gamma-Phase type coated wires.  If the coating is being stripped off the wire from the felt pads, an accumulation of debris is typically seen near the felt pad above the AWT Thread Jet assembly.  This will typically not cause any major problems, but increases the maintenance required on the machine.

Makino SP series machines are already known for using less wire than other machines in the same class on like jobs.  With HEAT technology providing faster cut times in many applications, this will help to even further reduce wire consumption by these machines.  With brass wire costing around $6.00 to $6.50 per pound, this can result in substantial savings for those shops that use the SP series machines with HEAT.  EDM Sales & Supplies (1-800-EDM-SAVE) also offers a proprietary coated wire called Versacut-H that will further reduce process times on any WEDM regardless of manufacturer.  This wire was developed exclusively for Makino to compliment the HEAT system.  Combined with HEAT Technology on the Makino SP series machines, our customers have seen as much as 52% reduction in process times on some jobs.  Contact Makino EDM Applications, EDM Sales & Supplies, or Jeff Kiszonas to get more details.