Page 35 - Fall 2023 EDM Today

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a precision-honed cylinder called a sleeve. These slots
NEXT CAME MEDICAL
and shapes are often done within pre-machined reliefs or
“We landed another great medical job making the LASIK
counter bores for fl ow purposes and ease of wire cutting.
eye surgery blades.”
Typically having close
NOTE: This procedure is when the surgeon uses a
tolerance geom-
“microkeratome” (a blade-like device used to shave a thin,
etries, the inside
hinged fl ap on the surface of the cornea. This fl ap is then
corner dimensions
(fi llets) can be as
tion in vision after being fused with use of a laser).
small as .002”, while
“This led us to getting other medical jobs and made our
the co-planer toler- adjusted to reshape the cornea and bring about correc-
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company much more diverse and resistant to segment
ance (edge-to-edge
swings. Medical and dental markets are much more
squareness across
stable and predictable.“ To which he wisely observes,
both cut surfaces) is
“The aerospace market goes up and down, but there are
typically within .0002”,
always bad eyes and bad teeth to fi x.”
requiring the utmost
in tooling and setup
accuracy.
When the metering
slots do not allow a
wire to pass through
the part, Sinkers are
used as in the photo
at left. This sleeve is
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almost 9” long and
has 128 metering
slots throughout its
length and diameter,
each measuring
Taking advantage in one of the fastest growing markets
.016” x .050”. The Wire cut electrodes are shown in
the foreground.
for Wire cutting are in the medical, dental and optical
fi elds. One example that Quality EDM produces with
fi ne Wire EDM wire is the innovative, self-locking,
THEIR “HOLE” STORY
penny for scale.
About 20 years ago, Quality EDM’s business made a
major pivot when Mike discovered Fast Hole EDM and titanium bone screw shown above, placed atop a U.S.
Three fi ne-Wire (.004”) cuts are made radially, 120° apart
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was amazed at their speed. “What would take hours in a
as shown in the end view in the center photo. In use, the
Sinker would take minutes in a Fast Hole. We purchased
fi nished screw is driven into a pre-drilled, undersized or
eight Current EDM’s and our business was opened up to
“tap-sized” hole into the bone by a hex key in the back
many more opportunities,” says Gervais.
of the screw (this hex-driver recess is also EDM’ed) to
secure titanium bone plates in orthopedic surgery.
By design, the geometry and location of the Wire slots in
the screw allows the thread sections above them to be
compressed and fl ex inward when forced into the bone.
When in place, each of these sections remain in tension,
pressing outward and engaging the bone, preventing the
screw from loosening or moving within the bone. Being
made of titanium (bio inert), bone growth will quickly
regenerate within the Wire-cut slots and hollow center,
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helping further anchor the screw in place.

Continuing, he said, “We started doing all kinds of Fast-
Hole work and eventually landed an amazing production
job EDM’ing small holes in dental drills. We were doing
thousands of these parts per week and are still running
these same parts 20 years later.” This explains their early (Continued on next page)
exposure and experience in the dental market, with some
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of their special tools and cutters shown above.

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EDM Today, Fall 2023 Issue