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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
EDM
is a popular means of machining tungsten carbide materials, because the hardness
of the material is not a concern for the EDM process. Both Wire and
Sinker EDMs can used to machine fine details and near mirror finishes in tungsten
carbide materials. The major drawback to the use of WEDM to machine tungsten
carbide has always been the electrolytic action between the carbide material and
the dielectric (de-ionized) water used in WEDM machines. This electrolytic
action can actually break down the binder in the carbide, usually cobalt, and
produce what looks like rust on the surface of the material. Under
magnification, this break down is apparent as voids in the surface of the
material (see photo 1a & 1b). These voids weaken the structure of the
material, and will result in shortened tool life, especially for impact tooling
such as punches, and dies used in stamping, forging, or cold heading.
WEDM
using oil as the dielectric has been a slow process, historically, and there
have been few of these kinds of machines produced. Makino now offers a machine
designed to operate with oil dielectric, and to cut carbide and PCD materials
with extreme accuracy and surface finishes. The UPV3 and UPV5 WEDM machines are
the next evolution of the award winning U-Series WEDMs from Makino. Although
designed for machining carbides and PCD materials, the UPV machines also perform
well in tool steels. Leaving only sporadic measurable recast, and no measurable
HAZ, these machines can achieve measurable surface finish results of 0.08ymRz or
better! (see photo 2). For more information about these ultra-precise, oil
dielectric WEDMs, watch the new Makino webinar on "Faster Cutting of Carbide and Hardened Materials."
Photo 1a – Carbide machined in oil; no cobalt depletion.
Photo 1b – Carbide machined in de-ionized water shows signs of cobalt depletion.
Photo 2 – Reflections of parts in surface of carbide block taken directly from UPV.
Monday, November 16, 2009
I have written here in the past about EDM fine hole
drilling, but I have some update info that is very interesting. Makino recently
did some testing for a customer who needed a 0.007-0.008" (0.177mm - 0.203mm)
diameter hole drilled through 0.75" (19.05mm) of CPM material. That's a
Length-to-Diameter ratio (L:D) of 125:1. Some will say "That's impossible, it
can't be done.". However, Makino Application Engineers were able to produce
this very thing on the Edge2 Fine Hole machine. Using a 0.006" (0.15mm)
diameter copper pipe and a tooling set-up that allows 90 degree incremental part
indexing, they were able to produce a 0.0075" (0.1905mm) diameter hole through
0.75" (19.05mm) of CPM-M4. Here's a picture of the block of material with a
piece of 0.004" (0.101mm) wire running through it, and magnified view of the
hole itself. The hole, drilled from both sides to meet in the middle, took 30
minutes. When the part was cut open with WEDM to inspect the middle of the part
where the 2 holes met, there was no visible line or mismatch at the meeting
point.
Monday, February 23, 2009
I have provided a lot of information on the use of EDM in aerospace
manufacturing through this blog, trade events, webinars on Makino.com, and a
recently published article in Makino's aerospace focused magazine, Radical
Departures. These have produced a fair amount of interest from several
aerospace primes and top tier suppliers, as well as MROs in the aerospace
sector. I've completed the testing program to gather data for general,
non-specific applications, and have sent out over 2 dozen copies of the complete
test results to the companies that have asked for them.
If you have an interest
in looking at EDM as a viable process in parts manufacturing for the aerospace
industry, from engine parts to landing gear components, contact me to discuss
how Makino can help. We are ready and willing to provide test cuts on specific
materials and geometries that your company can perform metallurgical tests on to
verify recast and HAZ thickness, existence of micro cracks, surface hardness,
tensile strength, etc. If you would like a copy of Radical Departures, let me
know and I will make sure you receive on. The test cuts and magazine are
free.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
FW: Ti Booster technology
Makino has recently developed Titanium booster technology
for Makino sinkers at the request of a major aerospace
manufacturer. In order to use it, the EDM machine must have a generator booster
that provides an additional 60 amps to the existing standard generator. What's
new is the technology, or machining conditions, that provide the burn parameters
for the machining - On time, Off time, Servo, Amperage, etc. The new technology
is currently for high speed roughing only, and provides material removal rates
of about 2 grams per minute. This is about 70-80% faster than previous
technologies. Makino is currently developing finish settings for this new
technology that are expected to be able to achieve finishes down to less than 2
micronRa, or 75 microinchRa. This technology will be available for most Makino
sinker EDMs. We'll be broadcasting an online seminar on our Titanium booster technology this Thursday, January 22, 2009. If you'd like to attend and learn more about these advancements in titanium machining, you can register for free here. Thanks for reading everybody, hope to see you at this weeks seminar!
Friday, August 08, 2008
I've mentioned in the past that Makino is doing materials testing of aerospace alloys that have been
processed with EDM. Makino has shown 2 webinars addressing this topic. I will
be presenting more information on this topic as a speaker at this year's IMTS in
Chicago, IL on Wednesday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m. Makino EDM has had testing
done on several different aerospace alloys, having just added Inconel 718 to the
list of tested materials. Other alloys previously tested for HAZ, recast,
micro-cracking, and Vickers Micro-hardness include 6061-T6 aluminum, 17-4
stainless, and 6Al-4V titanium. Be sure to stop by the Business and Technology
Forum to see results of the latest testing performed by a NADCAP certified
lab.
Friday, April 25, 2008
I've mentioned this before here, but I want to
remind everyone that Makino is doing some interesting materials testing related
to EDM and aerospace manufacturing. We've already had a lot of Wire EDM
testing done - 18 samples, 3 different alloys (17-4PH, AL6-4V, 6061-T6), 1, 2,
and 3 pass machining. Tests performed were recast thickness, Heat
Affected Zone thickness, micro cracks, and Vickers Micro Hardness. We've
seen some very impressive results that you can see in our webinar archives at
Makino.com . We are now in the process of testing the same 3 alloys, same
tests, but with Sinker EDM burns. We'll be adding Inconel 713 in the very
near future. I'll have results from these tests in the next couple of
weeks, and I'll presenting this data at the Montreal Machine Technology Show on
Tuesday, May 13. Anyone interested in these types of tests should stop by
if you're attending the show. I'll also be supporting our Canadian
distributor, SST-Canada, in their booth, number 332. If you're at the
show, stop by either the technical presentation on Tuesday morning, or the SST
booth to say hi. If you'd like a copy of the test results of what we've
done so far, just send me an email and I'll send you a copy.