Product category:
EDM wire cutting
News Release from: Yuasa Warwick Machinery | Subject: Prima E250 Wire EDM centres
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 March 2001
Repeatable EDM accuracy gives die maker
the edge
Ona wire EDM cell cuts hollow or solid, simple or complex shapes and single or multi-cavity dies with repeateable accuracy.
The value of the pound against the currencies of the world's industrialised countries has, for many years, made life difficult for any UK manufacturer - whether a large multinational or a component supplier - to export and make profit for planned growth Fortunately, the majority can rely on serving the home market where the playing field is level, but for a few, exporting is a way of life and increasingly difficult
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 31 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Cheltenham-based Minium Tool is one such company, successfully exporting 99% of core product, and where ONA's EDM technology is instrumental, as Managing Director, Perry Jacobs explained.
'We design and manufacture aluminium extrusion dies, and as an exporter, the high value of the pound has a massive effect on the business.
We are still having to hold 1995 prices although the margins are almost negative, yet the competition will still be cheaper than we are.
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The key to remaining competitive is in producing dies of superior quality.
We are told by our customers that our dies are producing 50% more tonnage than the nearest competitor.
In effect, we are asking our customers to pay more but for a superior product, and that is mirrored in our policy when buying machine tools.' Minium Tool are both die makers and solution providers for the extrusion industry - recently creating a hemispherical design to reduce the stress cracking inherent in extruding hard alloy.
The majority of dies produced from 112 to 500mm diameter result principally in aluminium sections for the architectural, electronic and automotive industries.
In the case of the latter, the aluminium sections are for bumpers, fuel injection systems and roof racks, supplying first tier suppliers to 'blue chip' OEMs such as BMW and Volvo.
However, there are thousands of applications for aluminium profiles and no two dies are the same.
Careful and sometimes innovative die design is at the heart of efficient extrusion.
Received DXF files and drawings, with details of press and alloys, see Minium's designers utilising seven seats, calculate shrink size, flow ratios, tolerances etc and using a Concerto CAD/CAM package design a precision tool which will give low die trials and optimum performance.
'In supplying companies such as Norsk Hydro and Minalex, quality is absolutely paramount, although missing delivery dates is frowned on.' added Jacobs.
'We are supplying product within 7-days of order so 'right first time' production is critical and we look to utilise every machine tool to its full potential, taking human error out of the equation where possible.
The EDM cell, where we have invested in the right technology to meet our aims, is typical of our approach.
With delivery time and quality being the 'key factors' we were experiencing problems with our Fanuc wire eroders.
Questions were arising relating to achieving squareness of bearings and in effect, human intervention was increasingly necessary, but that was leading to incremental differences in tolerance.
We therefore set about finding the solution, buying three ONA Prima E250 Wire EDM centres from Yuasa Warwick.
Today, we can fixture hollow or solid, simple or complex shape, single or multi-cavity dies, determine the tolerances over 200mm and know that the machines will give us repeatable accuracy.' In producing a bumper tool for Volvo, having agreed the design and done the bearing application, die blanks turned from H13 or 2367 steel billet are prepared for heat treatment.
Hardened-tested dies are milled on 3-axis Bridgeport Interacts, ground for thickness, fixtured, and sent to the ONA wires where the critical detail is carried out.
The Prima E250 will pick up a known reference from the fixture and DNC-linked tool paths see angled clearances and bearing changes put in.
Bearing lengths are checked against the design whilst a secondary cut - skimming all round - is carried out, obtaining the finish required for the type of section, working to tolerances of typically +/- 0.01mm.
The die aperture is then checked on the Prima using calibrated pins of 0.01mm graduations before going to final inspection, where size, surface finish, and squareness is checked against drawing tolerances.
'The inherent accuracy of the ONAs have never failed to give us the specified finish,' continued Jacobs, 'but it doesn't matter how good we make the tool, it is important that our customers are capable of working with procedures that will get the required performance from the die - billet pre-heated to the correct temperature for example.
There is a fine balance between die life and productivity and ultimately profitability for our customers, and we aim to work with them from initial contact through to final product.' 'We are also only one of two companies worldwide that can make the components of a hollow die separately, allowing customers to minimise downtime by having a specific die piece produced.
However, in order to maintain our status as a premier player in the extrusion die industry, suppliers such as Intoco need to supply steel to the correct conformity and ONA continue to provide us with a first class service back-up and the technology that will allow us to continually produce top quality dies with the ever decreasing delivery schedules,' concluded Perry Jacobs.
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