Page 36 - Fall 2023 EDM Today

stroke of 15.75”, as you can clearly see oke of 15.75”, as you can clearly see oke of 15.75”, as you can clearly see EDM Today Magazine
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WIRE CUT ELECTRODES
YOU “JOB SHOP” IT
Further covering their fi ne Wire capabilities, another
Not
Not to be misleading, not everything to be misleading, not everything to be misleading, not everything
Not
production job Quality EDM has produced are these tiny
they do is small, as has been cov-
copper gears that are used as electrodes for production
ered so far. Here is an aerospace
micro-EDM in a Sinker.
manifold shown fi xtured within their shown fi xtured within their
manifold
large Sodick AD55L CNC Sinker.
Wire cut from a
copper plate, the
round ID is fi rst
str
str
cut with a D-fl at Although this machine has a Z-axis
below, a 13” mani-
fold, plus the height
for timing, then the
EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine
gear form is cut,
of the fi xture makes
freeing the part.
a conventional
It is then pressed
direct approach
impossible. “Impos-
onto a mating
ground, D-shaped
sible” unless one
shank and used
“job shops” it, as
to Sinker EDM a
they have creatively
done here. By using
precision plastic or
a horizontal platen
die cast mold insert. Here are several fi nished electrodes
to extend the work
seen placed atop a common lunch room salt shaker for
scale, perhaps .080” in diameter.
range and effective-
ly raising the Z-axis
by four inches, this
EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine
MILLED ELECTRODES
allows the machin-
ing of an otherwise
With so much Sinker work for so many diverse indus-
“too-tall” part.
tries, Quality EDM added a Sodick MC430L, a high-speed
vertical machining center with linear motors and a 30,000
The electrode is
RPM spindle for electrode-making. Mike wanted the
mounted horizon-
ability to plan and meet any electrode challenge or
tally on the tip of
requirement without relying upon outside sources.
the long vertical
electrode holder. The burn location is six inches deep into
To produce
the electrode
at left, there
With the electrode in proper position, a horizontal burn
are 180 the pre-machined body of the manifold.
is made in the Y-axis to intersect a pre-existing internal
individual,
fl uid passage.
EDM Today Magazine electrodes EDM Today Magazine
EDM Today Magazine
.035” wide,
hex-shaped
each stand-
ing .150” tall,
machined
into a
3” x 4”
graphite
blank.
Except for the machining marks revealing their location,
it is impossible to see the individual electrodes in this
photo. This electrode is used to “gang sink” the hexagon
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driver slots into 180 medical screws that are secured into
a matching EDM fi xture for EDM’ing.
Of course, they produce
many versions of larger
and often more complex
While this set up and electrode holder appears to be
electrodes as shown at
much too fl imsy for accurate machining by any other
right. For scale, the shank
machining method, only the “non-contact” sport of
is about ¾” square.
EDM can allow this kind of imagination, creativity
and problem solving to extend beyond the design or
capacity of the machine.
(AUTHOR: I like this creative job shop approach.
EDM Today Magazine
EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine EDM Today, Fall 2023 Issue
“It doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to work.”)
34