Monday, November 16, 2009
Edge2 Fine Hole EDM - Making the Impossible a Reality

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.

Accuracy | Surface Finish
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 Thursday, August 06, 2009
How wire unspooling rates can affect profits

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.

Consumables | High Speed Burning
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 Thursday, June 18, 2009
Securing Business in Other Markets
Blog entries

I recently had a local Michigan customer ask me how to go about securing business in areas other than Tool & Die and Molds.  His shop has traditionally been a mold building shop catering to the automotive industry.  No surprise there, since he is very close to Detroit.  Because of the weakened economy, and especially because of all the problems with GM and Chrysler, many shops that had historically supplied tooling of all sorts to the automotive industry in and around Michigan are looking elsewhere for work.  For many shops, this diversification of their business operation has meant the difference between remaining competitive, and going out of business.

Many of the skill sets that are learned and used in Die-Mold work can be translated to parts manufacturing for different sectors.  Like anything else, changing from Die-Mold or Tool & Die making to parts manufacturing will have a learning curve.  Keep in mind also that when you get into some of this work, like aerospace, medical, or Department of Defense (military), there is a whole new set of rules, specifications, restrictions, and so on.  Once these are learned and you accept them, you will find that there is work to be had and money to be made in these sectors.

Some of the industries I would recommend looking to are medical/dental, aerospace, military, clean and renewable energy, and power generation (turbines). Most of what I see in the demand for EDM from these sectors is more in the way of parts than for tooling, except for medical. More and more shops I go into that used to make strictly tooling are diversifying into parts manufacturing. For example, almost every T&D shop I have visited in California in the last 8 years now does less than 5% of their business in T&D.  Those same shops are now producing parts for aforementioned sectors.  Certain areas of the country also have specific industry needs for EDM.  In Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana there is a need for knowledge and experience in using EDM for manufacturing parts for the oil field industry.  The arid Southwest; California, Arizona, and Nevada; has a need for agricultural irrigation system parts. 

As for making contacts, that depends on the specific sector. For military work, the government publicly solicits quotes for many of the projects they need work done for . You can probably find info on this and the other sectors by googling them. These links will get you into the U.S. government's site that deals with doing business with the government and the military.  http://www.business.gov/expand/government-contracting/    http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/doing_business/index.htm    I know that Aviation Week Magazine has a very comprehensive publication that lists all major aerospace "Primes", and many of their subcontractors. https://a1.ecom01.com/aw_marketdatacenter?s_id=11  SAE is heavily involved in aerospace manufacturing and would probably be a good source for info or contacts. I always see info from them advertising seminars on how to do business with the aerospace industry. Check out this link - http://saeglobalsuppliermarketplace.com/   I would also recommend looking into the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association, based in Grand Rapids, MI, and other more local business development organizations. http://www.michman.org/

For Medical, the MD&M (Medical Device & Manufacturing) shows are an excellent place to network for this sector. The shows not only have medical supply companies exhibiting, but is a prime showcase for shops that cater to them. The next one is in NYC in June, http://www.devicelink.com/expo/east09/  then Minnesota in October http://www.devicelink.com/expo/minn08/. 

Another area with a lot of growth potential is Micro- and Nano-manufacturing.  This is one of the fastest growing disciplines, as the demand for smaller, lighter, and more capable devices continues to escalate.  This area may be at the opposite end of the spectrum for many of you, who are very familiar with making larger parts and tooling components.  Again, parts manufactured on this scale have a completely different set of challenges than what many of you are familiar with.  There are several Micro Manufacturing conferences each year throughout the country, and the magazine MicroManufacturing can also be a good source of contact information.

I am not sure where to find contact info for the energy sectors, other than to research websites related to these. One place to start would be the Department of Energy websites for U.S. and individual states.

I hope this information is helpful to anyone out there who's shop is struggling to survive in these hard economic times.  Its not always the technology you employ that makes you successful.  Who you do work for can also have a big impact on the future of your company.

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 Monday, April 27, 2009
Check Out United Space Alliance on the cover of EDM Today's May/June Issue

As spring approaches and our economy continues to struggle, there is one company that remains busy today with producing parts for NASA and the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.  That company is United Space Alliance, with operations in Florida, Alabama, and Texas.  I visited the Houston operation a few months ago, and had the pleasure of meeting some of the people who make sure our astronauts are as safe as possible during shuttle missions, especially when performing repairs and "space walks" outside the space vehicle.  The cover story for the May/June issue of EDM Today magazine concentrates on what these folks do, and how important it is to them to produce good parts, 100% of the time.  Check out the May/June issue to read about the operations there, and see some of the parts that they make to secure items and astronauts from floating away into space.

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 Thursday, March 05, 2009
Moon Tool & Die featured in EDM Today

Hi everyone. We wanted to let you know that one of Makino's EDM customers, Moon Tool and Die in Meadville, PA, was recently featured as the cover story for the Jan/Feb issue of EDM Today magazine. Moon Tool has several Makino machines, including a SP43 wire EDM, a U32j wire EDM, an EDGE2S Sinker EDM, and a S56 machining center. On the wire EDMs they use all three Makino wire guides--split V guides for general work, split C guides for high taper applications, and PICO Precision guides on the U32j for reliable threading of small holes in a tight matrix. One job they do on the U32j, as described in the EDM Today article, has 2500 start holes that are 0.015" diameter with center to center distances of 0.0395". They were able to run this job unattended using 0.006" diameter wire, without missing a thread. For more details, check out their article at www.edmtodaymagazine.com. If you would like more information on these different wire guide systems, you can check out my "Choosing a Wire Guide System" webinar at www.makino.com/library.

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 Monday, February 23, 2009
EDM for aerospace

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.

Accuracy | Surface Finish
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 Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Customer Support Is Very Rewarding

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.
Accuracy | Consumables | Cycle Time Reduction | High Speed Burning | Surface Finish
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 Friday, January 30, 2009
Amazing EDM Fine Hole comparison

Makino has recently done testing for a customer in the medical industry for EDM Fine Hole machining.  Part of this testing compared Fine Hole EDM to Laser and conventional mechanical drilling techniques.  The results of the tests were pretty amazing.  The photo micrographs below show the results of all three processes.  As the demand for smaller holes in medical devices, telecommunications and fiber optics, and aerospace applications increases, Makino continues to develop and refine our Fine Hole EDM machines to meet these demands.  Requirements for many of these projects include accuracy of size and shape, consistency in dimensions and locations of entry and exit, and straightness through high L/D ratios.  Check out these pictures and decide for yourself which process produces a better result in tight tolerance, high accuracy hole drilling.  These photos were machined into 316 Stainless Steel, 0.250mm thick, and captured on a scanning electron microscope.  Magnification levels are indicated on the photos.

This 0.015mm hole was developed using using a PICO second laser. Notice the deformation of the entrance hole and splattering of the exit hole.



The following 0.090mm hole was produced using conventional drilling. Notice the differing entrance and exit hole diameters and inaccurate roundness.



The next 0.020mm hole was produced using Makino Fine Hole EDMing. Entrance and exit holes were of the same quality with little to no deformation occurring to either one.




Makino fine hole EDMing was used to produce this 0.100mm hole as well. Once again the entrance and exit holes were virtually of the same quality. As you can see, little to no deformation resulted.


Accuracy | High Speed Burning | Surface Finish
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