Advanced EDM technology without the possibility of processing greatly improve

For nearly 20 years, the EDM in the industry as a profession, drill edm it is its interest in entering the labor market reduced. The reason may be that too few opportunities to provide grade 4L training in schools at all levels of students. Due to staffing shortages, the reaction of the processing industry to adopt advanced technology to improve the performance of the machine. Machine tools today the average worker to complete the past several years of experience to have the operator to complete the processing tasks, another new contribution is the machine can start day and night, without any difficulty.

EMD's most unfavorable factor is the time, the arrangement of working hours determines whether the user's requirements on-time delivery. Unattended operation of machine tools is the ability to work is extremely important. Optimize the engineering design, manufacturing. And with today's technology the best way commensurate with the means to adjust the machine in the total working hours to reduce.

President of Tech Mold Bill Kushmaul pleased to note that: "We have statistics on the actual discharge machining time, accounted for only 168 hours a week in the actual discharge machining time of EDM equipment General mold midday working hours from 20% to 30% o the most advanced equipment and automation technology can be a dramatic improvement. "

As the winner of the Western District of Mitsubishi Electric EDM and North-South Machinerv Limited 1998EDM Innovation Award, Tech mold has been used in mold manufacturing is almost the most innovative automation systems. 3R Workman, the Robot system equipped with three wheat motor VXl0 CNC EDM. The Tech Mold, its processing time from 36 hours per week to 150 hours, an increase of more than three times. In fact, no other manufacturer using the EDM unattended machining parts to reach this speed.

Kushmal: EDM Automation can really ensure that we actually need long-term unattended processing, mold workshop, there is a sense. Mold manufacturing are traditional, old-fashioned business. Actually mold maker as much as possible automated. to maintain its competitiveness and to meet user requirements ". VXl0 really helped us do this.

EDM Innovation Award 1998 granted to the user plant, in order to reward their priority in the production process and creative use of the EDM. This is just one of five regional awards each year to the EDM users. All five regions Prize winner will be compete in IMTS98 for national awards, has set up five regional Award and a National Award, but Mitsubishi Electric EDM factory still hope to increase public awareness of EDM as a forerunner of modern technology in precision machining .

Friday afternoon, when Tech Mold, the operator is ready for the Vx processing tasks for the entire weekend, just need to give the 12-key command to set the action, the ESPER can fully support the work of the 3R Robot tool changer, the entire automatic run-time weekend so that the machine weeks working time about 60 hours, than is usually the actual running time from Monday of five doubled. Unattended operation is ten production efficiency, reduce costs and reducing labor.

Automated the EDM

Kushmaul long-term care and efforts to find a mold manufacturing automation technology. Because the problem is that EDM technician to spend a lot of time to adjust the machine and replace the electrode m the processing of a new workpiece; Another problem is that skilled workers hate overtime in the evenings or on weekends, so EDM only the day shift, most will be dry to evening. CNC EDM - of Mitsubishi Electric's VXl0 Kushmaul the automation program began in earnest.

"As far as possible use of evening and weekend production for us than anything else." Kushmaul said. Now, VXl0 connected 3R Robot programmable knife libraries, unattended exposed from week 5 pm to work until Monday morning. 3R Robot tool changer 1.829m high turntable, storage and exchange of 72 of the workpiece and 72 electrodes, and no custody of the workpiece and the electrode have tray. When a workpiece after removed by the robot, and then take from the electrode used. Then selected in the knife bank under a workpiece and the electrode, by installation, whether installed by the electrode or the workpiece in the chuck precision of less than 2μM.

Tech Mold, white power of one of the VXl0 the input system, called the Mitsubishi Electric the ESPER (easy and simple programming expert systems), it offers automatic programming for human-computer dialogue. The input data include rough, finishing the number of electrodes, electrode size, the processing of standard and depth of processing.

This information, the the ESPER system to the workpiece edit the most effective set of Criteria. A very practical experience of the technician in order to compile the program, the the ESPER system without human assist can be assembled meters. The machine could start with the actual size of the probe detection of the workpiece and the electrode, and then remove the robot probe, mounted on the EDM electrodes required. The result is a greatly reduced number of the need to replace the electrode.