Recent Postings

If you are having difficulty manufacturing or burning small/thin rib electrodes or tapping electrodes, give copper-impregnated graphite a try. You still need to use the standard graphite machining conditions, but the copper that is infused into the material makes it easier to machine the electrode to form and prevent chipping during the milling/turning process. The copper also gives added rigidity to the graphite, thus reducing flexure of the electrode during orbiting. This flexure can cause uneven surface finishes and inaccurate cavities or parts. Copper-impregnated graphite is available from several manufacturers, including Poco, Toyo Tanso, Ibiden and others. For information on copper-impregnated graphite materials and applications, contact Single Source Technologies (SST) at www.singlesourcetech.com.

-Jeff

Makino in Auburn Hills, MI welcomes you to attend the Advanced Manufacturing and High-Precision Technology Expo. During this two day event on October 12 and 13, we will have seven EDM machines on display among a total of 17 machine tools. These EDMs will represent Makino’s diversity in the field, from the workhorse DUO-Series wire EDMs, to the ultra-precision UPJ2 horizontal WEDM. If its super fine finishes you require, especially in carbide and PCD materials, we will be demonstrating the new UPV-Series WEDMs that operate with oil instead of dielectric water.

Our newest sinker EDM, the EDAF-Series with ArcFree Technology, will be sporting the latest in on-board program generation, Makino Program Generator (MPG). The larger EDAF3 will be outfitted with our extremely precise Fine Hole option for drilling of holes as small as 11 micron, and L:D capabilities of over 100:1. At the pinnacle of accuracy for Makino sinker EDM technology are the EDAC1 and EDFH1. We will have an EDFH1 machine in our controlled environment room. This machine can be used as both a standard sinker and a precision EDM hole drill, just like our EDAF machines with Fine Hole option. The big difference is that the EDFH1 can achieve the finest of finishes and the smallest of details with ease.

It’s going to be one of the premier manufacturing technology events of 2011. If you’re in the Detroit area, stop in and see what Makino has to offer. Register now at www.makino.com/expo.

-Jeff

If you’re planning on attending imX next week at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I’d like to welcome you to stop by the Makino Experience Zone (#2348) to see the ArcFree Technology and fine-hole finishing capabilities of the EDAF2-FH sinker EDM, as well as the mirror-like surface finishing capabilities of the oil-dielectric based UPV series wire EDMs. Our skilled team of EDM engineers will be on hand to address your manufacturing challenges and discuss the latest solutions in sinker and wire EDM technologies.

You can also “learn more to earn more” at Makino’s micromachining learning lab, where my colleague, John Bradford, will discuss the latest EDM techniques and technologies that are continually expanding the horizons of micromachining.

Stop by and say “Hi.” We look forward to meeting with you and helping you hone your EDM skills and technologies.

-Jeff

When looking at new machines today, whether milling, turning, EDM, or any other piece of capital equipment, there are a number of factors that people will consider before making a final purchase decision. These range from the manufacturer and their product models, to operational costs, financing and more. In many cases, the decision may come down to a question of price. “Who can provide me the cheapest machine that meets my requirements?” Some shops will buy strictly on price, thinking that the lowest priced machine will save them the most money. In many cases, however, the lowest priced option may cost more in consumables, maintenance, and support fees. 

Many of today’s machines are built with consideration of power consumption, and how the machine can conserve power when they are out of the cut. This is usually accomplished with software that allows the machine to shut down certain power consuming circuits when they are not required or in use. For example, the Makino EDAF series sinker EDMs can be programmed to shut down several circuits and functions, such as dielectric pumps, certain cooling fans, etc, after a job is completed. This can result in as much as a 69% reduction in power usage when the machine is in an idle state. By doing this when using unattended burning, the machine can finish a job at 3 a.m. and go into Power Save mode until someone comes into the shop the next day to restart the machine’s systems for normal operations. Without something like Power Save mode, the machine will continue to feed pump motors and cooling fans in the generator that are not really required after the burn is complete. Not only does this save energy that would otherwise be used for no reason, it lowers the overall cost of operation, and allows shop owners and machine operators to rest assured that they need not make a special trip into the shop in the wee hours of the morning to turn things off. With today’s push for more green technologies, these machines meet the challenge to decrease power usage, and thereby cost less to operate. 

Another thing to consider with WEDMs is the rate at which they consume wire. Plain brass wires today cost about $6/pound. Most machines sold in North America spin off wire at a rate of about 1-1.5 pounds per hour, with factory settings. Makino customers have reported that their DUO machines save them up to 60% in wire cost, compared to other machines they have used. This is because Makino WEDMs consume wire at a rate of about 0.5-0.7 pounds per hour with factory settings. This can result in $10,000 - $15,000 per machine, per shift in wire cost savings compared to other WEDMs on the market today. 

Even wire selection can have a big impact on operational costs. One Makino customer was hesitant to switch from brass to coated wire because of the 2.5 times price difference from brass to coated. This particular customer was cutting parts that had a cycle time of about 57 hours using brass wire. With simple math equations, the customer was educated to understand that by changing to coated wire, they would incur an additional $150 per part in wire cost, but they could shave the cycle time to about 45 hours per part (coated wires typically cut about 20% faster than brass wires). This was a “no brainer” to the customer, as the trade off of wire cost ($150) for cycle time (12 hours x shop rate) made them more competitive, more efficient, and allowed them to delay the purchase of another machine to add capacity. 

Contact Makino today to see how we are meeting the requirements of ever increasing performance, while using less of our planet’s finite resources. You can also get more details here:

Wire Consumption Rates Impact EDM Profitability
Faster Burning, Lower Wire Consumption with 0.012-inch Wire
EDM Wire Consumption Calculator

As always, you can also contact me, Jeff Kiszonas, EDM Product Manager at Makino, for further discussion or comment.

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.