Wire-cut EDM reduces costs by 300%

Since acquiring Agie EDM wire cutting systems, Andersson and Sorensen has realsied savings of some 300% in producing parts for medical equipment.

Andersson and Sorensen presently use Agiecut EDM wire-cutting systems sizes 2 and 3 for the majority of machining tasks.

It is their belief that the ability to rapidly translate customers' drawings and ideas into finished products is one of the company's greatest competitive strengths.

This fast turn-around is achieved by a combination of technical problem-solving procedures together with the economic implementation of unsupervised ED machining at night and at weekends, utilising the facilities of several Agievision control software modules.

The company continually strives to improve the economic manufacture of short run, high quality parts, and conventional manufacturing procedures, such as turning, drilling, milling or grinding, are now used only to supplement ED wire cutting.

For Andersson and Sorensen ED machining has the following advantages: *Excellent repeatability with consistently high precision *Superb surface quality - dramatically reducing post-machining work *All electrically conductive materials can be machined *Extremely small slots and openings can be achieved.

*High degree of automation - much work can be carried out at night and at weekends.

*Short planning and set-up phases.

*No repeated re-clamping.

*Ready in the morning To take an example of the manufacturing sequence for the injection holder for a medical scanner, the process consists of three phases: *Planning *Preparation of geometry in accordance with customer approved prototype or by inputting geometric data.

*Fixing material in accordance with customer requirements.

*Input of quality and machining targets *Setting up *Six blanks palletised and plotted in the preset-up position.

*Measurement data input into Agievision control *Pallets aligned with Agiesetup 3D *Machining priorities set with Usersequence.

*EDM wire cutting All outside contour main and trim cuts of the injection holder carried out overnight or at a weekend.

In the morning all six palletised, clamped work-pieces cut and separated.

Drop-out parts are removed and all six work-pieces rotated by 180ø and re-clamped.

All main and trim cuts of openings and notches are made.

Drop-out parts have been removed All corners and edges have been rounded by means of glass bead blasting, in accordance with hygiene regulations Manufacturing Costs are down 300%.

Using EDM wire cutting, Andersson and Sorensen are able to manufacture the injection holder and other similar pieces of medical equipment more easily from a manufacturing technology perspective, as a result of which costs have fallen dramatically: by slight modifications to the construction without influencing the functionality; by increasing flexibility, using the Agievision software modules Usersequence for priority-oriented EDM wire cutting and Pieceinsert for inserting express orders and by postponing many machining operations to autonomous, unsupervised night and weekend periods.

Only a few years ago, Andersson and Sorensen were manufacturing the injection holder conventionally, using milling, grinding and drilling two parts, which then had to be welded together and deburred.

Today there are ten different injection holder models which can be manufactured, without problem, at any time, from one day to the next, to the highest precision and with exact replicability.

"Agie evolution EDM wire-cutting systems give us the flexibility to manufacture workpieces with long machining sequences, unsupervised, at night or at week-ends, or we can quickly insert express orders without re-programming," explains company owner Erik Pollas.

Andersson and Sorensen Eftf.

A/S, founded in 1913 and located in the heart of Copenhagen, has succeeded in transforming itself from a generalist manufacturer to a specialist producer of small series parts, particularly providing solutions for medical equipment.

According to company owner Rene Sonnichsen, this has been made possible by investment in EDM machining, providing excellent repeatability and flexibility.

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