Product category:
EDM wire and diesinking, miscellaneous equipment
News Release from: Siemens Machine Tool Business Unit | Subject: Beaumont FH Series fast-hole EDM
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 February 2002
EDM improves fast-hole parts production
Aerospace and industrial gas turbine parts are now being deep-hole drilled using a six-axis EDM to improve quality and production.
Since 1980, Douglas Machine of Cincinnati, OH has been an accredited provider of premium quality aerospace and industrial gas turbine parts for these high-precision industries Owner Subhan Khan boasts GE, Westinghouse, Boeing, Pratt and Whitney and Rolls-Royce among his long-time customers
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 24 Jun 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The product line at Douglas ranges from industrial gas turbine blades, vanes and nozzles to jet engine turbine rings, segmented shrouds, seals, fan/compressor/turbine covers, rotors and more.
A completely self-contained and vertically integrated facility, Douglas utilizes the latest Unigraphics, Tech Soft and Solidworks CAD programs plus Job Boss production control to feed a factory floor filled with 3/4/5-axis mills, vertical and horizontal turning centers, cylindrical and surface grinders, ram EDM's (electrical discharge machinery), YAG lasers and 15 high-speed CNC fast-hole EDM drills.
The majority of the materials processed at Douglas are high-strength aerospace varieties, mostly titanium and nickel-based alloys.
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On many parts, deep-hole drilling to 12in (305mm) or more, with EDM recast as low as 0.0005in (0.013mm) and hole diameter tolerance to +/- 0.005in (+/-0.013mm)throughout, are the norm.
To tackle such demanding requirements, Douglas looked to its long-time partner, Williamsburg, OH-based Beaumont Machine, for assistance on this critical manufacturing challenge.
As company president Ed Beaumont recalls, "Douglas contacted us two years ago, requesting 12 EDM's for various applications.
We'd served them for many years as a rebuild/retrofit shop, but this application set required an entirely new machine.
We were custom-building 20in-100in (500mm - 2540mm) travel EDM's but the process was simply too slow." Thus began an overall new machine design at this 12-year-old company.
Beaumont arrived at a solution for the problem.
Despite the materials used at Douglas, this process would accomplish the optimum results, in terms of burn time, recast and dimensional accuracy for Beaumont's customer.
Additionally, 6-axis motion of the electrode and spindle control were needed on this new universal-type machine at Beaumont.
Clearly, an entirely new drive/motor/control package would be required, to suit these new machine specifications.
Ed Beaumont and his team, Mechanical Engineer Dave Hacker and Service Manager Ralph Aills, set out to find a partner of their own.
At an EASTEC show, they surveyed the entire range of control package suppliers, finally settling on the Sinumerik 840Di CNC, 15in LCD screen with online programming, 6 drive motors and motion control, all provided by Siemens Motion Control Systems of Elk Grove Village, IL.
"Our criteria included finding a package, backed by service, support and flexibility, user-friendly programming for our machine, a range of options and, of course, affordable pricing.
We needed reliable components with fast replacement capability.
We tried two other control manufacturers along the way, before concluding Siemens was our best choice for customer support, quality, product selection and design integration flexibility.
Our goal was to develop a standard line of EDM's which would address a range of customer needs.
The best match for our needs was Siemens.
They met and exceeded our expectations, as they say, " said Beaumont, who cited Robert Brunelli, the OEM Account Manager for Siemens as "my dealmaker" on the project.
Beaumont is currently supplying its FH Series of machines, with 6-axis motion and 20in-100in (500mm - 2540mm) travel, to Douglas and other manufacturers of aerospace and landbase turbine equipment.
To accomplish the building of this new EDM line, Beaumont Machine recently expanded its facility.
The results at Douglas Machine have likewise exceeded expectations, according to Subhan Khan.
With 60 electrical discharge machines currently on the floor, EDM'ing is the backbone of this component manufacturer.
On IGT (Industrial Gas Turbine) nozzles and blade cooling holes, for example, holes from 0.010in-0.125in (0.25mm - 3.18mm) diameters are made by 5-axis drilling with rotating electrodes.
This produces a clean surface with uniform diameter throughout the entire hole depth and the Siemens control produces extremely high repeatability on the Beaumont machines, according to Douglas personnel.
Typically, Douglas uses is CAD software to design tooling based on customer-supplied solid models.
The latest versions of Unigraphics and other software are used to exchange ideas with customers electronically, thus eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming drawing modifications.
CNC codes are generated directly from the solid models, while an in-house DNC network to all CNC machines at Douglas uploads and downloads programs for enhanced efficiency.
The company also houses an impressive QC department, with 3- and 5-axis CMM's (Coordinate Measuring Machines) with computer-controlled positioning and control.
An automated airflow measuring system is also utilized for component validation testing.
The Siemens Sinumerik 840Di control package on the Beaumont EDM's is an open architecture, PC-based motion control.
It offers an industrial PC with the Windows NT operating system and a motion control interface board with a PROFIBUS-DP, a single cable connecting the control to the I/O periphery of motor, drive and other components of the package.
The new Beaumont FH Series of fast-holed EDM's is currently marketed for general industry use, by the manufacturer, who anticipates substantial growth in his market share, owing to good customers such as Douglas as well as his control package partner, Siemens, according to owner Ed Beaumont.
"Our 6-axis capability on a 100in (2540mm) machine isn't available from anyone else presently (January, 2002).
The machine has the ability to program on and off time, current and capacitance, all on one page, with up to 100 pages accessible.
A last burn time feature gives you the duration of the last burn to enhance productivity.
It features a tool change counter for easy electrode changeover, plus it has the ability to burn multiple depths in the same program.
By using a simple mill-style layout, the operator has an easier job of G and M Code programming and operating of this EDM.
We're confident of its success in the market," concluded Beaumont.
Beaumont's FH Series of fast-hole EDM'S will be on display at IMTS 2002, in Booth 4153 at the EDM Pavilion.
(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 20 February 2002).
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