Makino EDM Matters Blog - Cycle Time Reduction

Carbide Machining Without the Worry of Binder Depletion

Your DisplayName here! — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:14:41 GMT

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.

Customer Support Is Very Rewarding

Your DisplayName here! — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:39:48 GMT

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.

FW: Ti Booster technology

Your DisplayName here! — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:23:18 GMT

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!

Advancements in EDM technology from Makino

Your DisplayName here! — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:29:43 GMT

Makino EDM introduced some new technology at IMTS. For Wire EDM, we presented the new DUO43 and DUO64 WEDMs. These machines will replace the SP series, and have several improvements of note. The DUO series machines are about 20% smaller in footprint than the SPs were, but retain the same X, Y, Z, U, V axis travels. The bed of the machines have been redesigned to incorporate the clean and dirty tanks into the same platform as the machine tool. New technologies will give the machine about a 20% increase in performance in many applications, and we have specifically designed .012" wire technologies to address both speed and performance with larger diameter wires. This is the only WEDM made that offers a choice of wire guide systems, either our proven Split Precision V Guides or the new PICO Precision Guides for small hole/close pitch threading and precision land/taper work for fine blanking and precision stamping dies.

On the sinker side, our newest advancements are a titanium specific generator, and Super Spark Graphite. The titanium generator allows high speed burning of titanium parts, specifically at the request of a major aerospace manufacturer, while maintaining surface integrity of the parts being machined. Super Spark Graphite is a new technology that drastically reduces burn time in deep cavities, while reducing electrode wear. In some cases, Super Spark Graphite allows EDMing of details that were impossible to do with older, standard technologies. One example of this that was on display at IMTS is a blind hole machined with a 5mm (0.197") square electrode to a depth of 200mm (7.874"). The fact that this can even be done at all is amazing, but it took only 20 hours (with no external flushing) and had around 20% wear on the roughing electrode (1st of 3 electrodes total).

For more information on these and other technological advancements in EDM from Makino, go to www.makino.com, or contact me at jeff.kiszonas@makino.com.

Wire EDM testing in progress...results soon to come.

Your DisplayName here! — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:57:37 GMT

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.

What is WIZARD technology?

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:42:18 GMT

Part of the reason HEAT is so effective is due to the WIZARD technology already built into Makino Wire EDMs. Here's an explaination of what that is:

BellyWIZARD: Improves part straightness thru adaptive and mechanical adaptive controls…this technology was originally developed and is part of our standard machining technology library for “optimum” flush conditions (High Speed and Precision settings). It has been incorporated into the HEAT technology and is a critical part of machining straighter parts.

PowerWIZARD: Improves and stabilizes the machining power to prevent wire breaks and to help improve accuracies. For the HEAT technology, this adaptive control has been set to be more sensitive, so that this technology will be more reactive to changes in both flushing and material thickness changes.

CornerWIZARD: Improves the geometric shaped and corner tolerance of the work piece. For HEAT technology, this adaptive control has been modified to accommodate the increases in both machining speed and flushing pressure.

FlushingWIZARD: This includes the two independently monitored and adaptive flush pumps that are each dedicated to the upper and lower machining heads. Each pump will sense and adapt to changes in “flushing dynamics” of the cut more quickly than any of our competitors (our competition only uses one pump), and this aids in maintaining machining speed as well as to prevent wire breaks. For HEAT technology, the flushing pressure has been greatly increased, which is a key factor in reducing cycle time.