Page 48 - Fall 2024 EDM Today

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IMTS Update

I asked Ed what sets Crystallume apart from other
tool companies. He stated that there are many unique
things about Crystallume, including its employ-
ee-owned status. He believes this is important in that
all employees care deeply about the company (their
company) and want the products and services to be
the best. Even the employees who pack the parts
for shipment want the company to do well. Ed also
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spoke about their coating technology and the ability
to achieve high levels of accuracy and repeatability
between tools. Ed was proud to say that Crystallume
pioneered the development of Chemical Vapor
Deposition (CVD) diamond technology.
crystallume.com

CURRENT EDM Booth 339272
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One of the busiest booths belonged to Current EDM. Headquartered
in Mountain View, California, this U.S. manufacturer provides a wide
range of EDM drilling machines, from entry-level affordable equipment
to ultra-high-end CNC machines designed for demanding high-
production work in aerospace, medical, automotive, and other industries that require high production rates,
reliability, and precision.
Late on Thursday afternoon when things
slowed down, EDM Today sat down with
Dwight Tanaka, Current EDM’s President,
and Ed Kuklock, Vice President. When
asked what was new, it was apparent
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there were many exciting developments
taking place. Ed told me their high-end
CNC equipment was designed based on
the new Siemens Sinumeric One con-
trol. This is Siemens' newest and most
powerful CNC offering. This new control
provides many benefi ts. Because of its
speed and processing power, it sup-
ports fast EDM metal removal rates. Ed
explained that it also provides many additional capabilities, such as allowing data streams out at near real-time data
rates. This enables users to collect all cutting process data and use it to process later as part of various analyses,
generically called “Big Data.” It is the backbone of advanced predictive analytics that allows users to optimize their
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EDM operations.
The new Siemens control also provides an excellent operator interface experience. It is a full-touch screen display
with fast screen response, enhanced graphing, and highly intuitive operation.

Dwight Tanaka expressed to me that Current was proud of its new technology, mainly because it was developed
in the USA. Current EDM is headquartered in California, but R&D is done at its Minneapolis, Minnesota facility.
The majority of its equipment is built in the USA. Even its affordable line is designed, developed, assembled, and
supported in the USA.
Our discussion turned to automation. Ed explained that they have recognized the need to provide automation at
various levels. Their booth had many different types of automation, from high-capacity electrode changers to full
cobot automation. Ed explained that most of their customers come to them with the requirements of what they need
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automation to do. Current EDM engineers then look at designing a system that will meet their needs from both a
production and budgetary standpoint.
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