Page 83 - Fall 2024 EDM Today

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BEDRA, INC.
Hanahan, SC
The bedra brand belongs to Berkenhoff GmbH. They have their global headquarters in
Heuchelheim, Germany. bedra is primarily known in the EDM community for its EDM wires.
Although bedra did not have a booth at IMTS, they were well
represented by their many distributors. Rodney Williams, bedra
Vice President, and Chris Frost, Director of Sales, spent time
in the distributor’s booth to help educate customers on the
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newest bedra product to enter the EDM marketplace.
I had time to sit down for a few minutes with Chris and Rodney
and talked about what’s new. Chris stated that the biggest
buzz is around their new blacspark wire. It is the latest tech-
nology and shows incredible promise. EDM Today readers
may remember the Winter 2024 issue case study conducted at
Webster EDM. They were one of the many companies selected
by bedra to test the new wire.
Aside from the new technology, Rodney explained that they
also want people to know more about bedra. The brand is based on more than 130 years of company history and 50
years of EDM experience. Their wire product portfolio has wire types for every application and compatibility with all
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major brands.
I asked Rodney what else he would like EDM Today readers to know about bedra. He replied that he wanted readers
to know there were many resources on the bedra website to help people choose the right wire for their application
and even a cost calculator to compare various wires. He invites people to visit the bedra website and learn more
about the products.
bedra.com/americas/

CARL HIRSCHMANN, INC. Schaumburg, IL
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While Carl Hirschmann did not exhibit this year at IMTS, the U.S. sales team was present
at the show in many of the OEM booths. I reached out to Max Golter, President and CEO
of Carl Hirschmann, Inc. I asked Max what was new. Max replied that Carl
Hirschmann has just launched a new Rotary Indexing Table, their Model
FJRD-120. He explained that this new unit was developed specifi cally for
wheel dressing of grinding wheels. It is based on direct drive motor
technology and supports a work load up to 50 kg (110 lbs.). This specifi -
cation got my attention. At a baseline, 50 kg capacity is very good, but to
achieve that much capacity with a direct drive motor is exceptional.
Direct drive motor technology is highly desired because it lacks any gear-
ing and, therefore, absolute zero backlash. They are highly responsive and
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can achieve a wide speed range.
In the case of the FJRD-120, it can
reach an impressive 1500 RPM!
Designed for both Sinker and Wire
EDM operation, the unit is capable of full submersion in water or oil. An inno-
vative double seal design employs a secondary redundant seal to ensure that
dielectric fl uid does not enter the unit. Max turned me over to Josh Grumble,
Carl Hirschmann’s National Service Director, for more on the technical details.
Josh followed up on the sealing and added that in case fl uid gets past the fi rst

I asked Josh for a clarifi cation on exactly what the unit is considered. At 1500
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RPMs, is it just a spindle? Josh replied that it can function as a spindle and
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EDM Today, Fall 2024 Issue