Wire EDM helps boost press tool orders

Press tool manufacturer has acquired a linear drive, wire EDM to extend tool making capacity and take on larger press tooling work, including progression tool sets up to 500t.

West Midlands-based automotive press tooling specialists Brierley achieved the best of both worlds recently, when it traded in one of its three Sodick EDM machines for a refurbished, more advanced model, while at the same time purchasing a brand new, linear drive AQ750L wire machine.

Brierley, which expanded into new premises in September and now occupies 20,000ft2 of space, has been investing in production machinery to increase its productivity and capacity.

Long-time user of Sodick EDM equipment, Partner Geoff Barnes, explains, "We specialise in safety critical automotive items such as components for seats and foot-pedals, and we work to very tight tolerances.

The EDM machines are crucial for this work, which includes progression tooling up to 500 tonnes.

Our existing machines had worked hard for us - but we knew we had to upgrade and extend our capacity if we were to stay ahead of the competition.

We needed to do two things simultaneously - increase the productivity of our existing EDM machines and buy a machine with larger capacity, to enable us to take on larger tooling tasks - but, like everyone else, we had a limited budget.

By taking up Sodi-Tech EDM's offer of a part exchange on one of the older machines we were able to achieve really significant productivity benefits with the refurbished A320D, while still being able to purchase the large new machine, which can take workpieces up to 1050 x 750 x 400." Brierley's strategy of investing in the best equipment - they have also increased their CNC capacity - and staff, is certainly paying dividends, with the ability to handle large, high tech, high value projects, the company is reporting year on year increase in sales of 30%, with a large proportion of production going for export.

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