Tuesday, November 11, 2008
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.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
This came into our applications department recently from a new EDGE2 customer:
"Thanks
for sending the test document on the Ultra-fine Circuit program. It was
a big help, along with the input on looking at the block by block
function in the diagnose screen. I now have a lot better understanding
of how time control breaks down into segments and how much time I'm
actually spending on each portion of each process. It was also
interesting on how MC Method 13 has 3 segments to each process and
Method 93 has 7 segments. It still amazes me on how the operator has
virtually an unlimited amount of options when it comes to programming.
The amount of information that's available to monitor every portion of
the burn is a big benefit that was unheard of with our old machine.
Every day I'm more and more convinced we made the right decision in
going with Makino. Thank You."
This customer does a lot of
carbide punch back-burning, and has seen a dramatic decrease in
processing time on the Makino EDGE2 as compared to the other sinker
they had been using. They also do a lot of carbide face details, and
have seen improvements in surface finish, surface integrity, and
geometric accuracy in these applications. We did a webinar on the back-burning process back in October 2007, entitled Back Burning Punches. This webinar, along with our
entire webinar archive, can be viewed for free at www.makino.com/library.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Makino introduced a new wire EDM at IMTS--the DUO series. I'll be giving a webinar on Sept. 25 at 11am ET talking about the new machines, and will be available for Q&A after. Plus we'll have the first two DUO users on hand talking about their experience.
Register to attend at www.makino.com/events, or check out more on the DUO at www.makino.com/DUO.
Hello everyone! I want to provide an update of where Makino is with surface integrity testing for aerospace. Since the last webinar in January 2008, we have added Inconel 718 alloy to the testing, and have also added sinker test results for all alloys tested so far. These include 6061-T6 aluminum, 718 alloy Inconel, 17-4PH stainless, and 6Al-4V titanium. These materials were machined with wire EDM, using brass and coated wires with one, two, and three pass machining. Sinker EDM tests were done with a widely recognized, premium grade of EDM graphite to rough, semi-finish, and finish states.
The test results on all alloys have been very impressive. If you would like a free copy of all three lab test reports, please email me, and I will be happy to send electronic versions for review. Also, if anyone would like to work with Makino on more specific tests (materials, geometries, coupons, or additional testing such as tensile strength after EDM) contact me to set things up. I can be reached at jeff.kiszonas@makino.com or 248-232-6208.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
If you plan on attending IMTS 2008 in
Chicago, IL between September 8 and 13, check out what Makino will be showing at
www.makino.com/IMTS. Wire and Ram EDMs
and the V22 VMC will be on display at booth D-4101 in the Lakeside Hall, and we
will be presenting HMCs and VMCs in the main Makino booth, A-8301 in the South
Hall. Stop by the EDM booth any time during the show to say "Hi", and discuss
your EDM needs with our knowledgeable and experienced EDM Applications
Engineers.
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.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Hey everyone, IMTS 08 is nearly here and all of us at Makino are very excited. We'd like to inform you that Makino EDM will have a new, larger
booth at this year's IMTS in Chicago, IL, September 8-13. The new booth is
twice the size of previous years, showcasing EDM machines and processes for
Micro-machining, Aerospace, Medical, and Job Shop applications. We will have
displays of parts for these sectors, and our Applications staff will be there to
answer questions about the machines, parts, and processes that will be shown.
The new, larger booth will be located in the Lakeside Pavilion, at D-4101,
directly at the entrance to the Hall. Along with Ram and Wire EDMs, we will
have a V22 high precision, high speed VMC to complement the Micro-machining area
of the display.
Friday, August 01, 2008
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.