Experience: Issue 23 (PDF | 2.8 MB)

PARTNER TO THE BEST
EMO 2003: Top event
in the tool branch
NO. 23
Top speed with
Agiecut Progress
Top removal rates
with Hyperspark
Mecasoft
Dal Sasso
Forez
BTMT
PNPPK
T H E
A G I E
E D M
M A G A Z I N E
027.158
The
speed
is not
everthing...
mm
The Agiecut Progress EDM
wire cutting system has been
designed with new performance features for maximum
productivity:
100
■ Cutting rates of 350 up to
500 mm2/min are reached with
standard wires in most cutting
heights.
● Automated with a robot,
Agiecut Progress becomes a
highly efficient manufacturing
cell for series production, prototypes, as well as in tool and
mould making.
▲ The cutting technology eCut
allows precision cuts requiring
up to half the time and expense.
Agiecut Progress:
advanced technology
for progressive
productivity
in wire EDM.
▲ The Agievision
control allows the
adjustment and
optimising of
process cycles,
thus drastically
cutting non-productive times.
50
AGIE SA
CH-6616 LOSONE
TELEPHONE +41 (0)91 806 91 11
TELEFAX +41 (0)91 806 92 60
WWW.AGIE.COM
[email protected]
20
350
400
450
AGIE CHARMILLES Group
GEORG FISCHER GF Manufacturing Technology
2
500 mm /min
2
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
‘‘
No. 23
of October 2003
Appears in German
English, French and
Italian.
Editor:
M. Katz
Graphics:
R. Grizzi
Printed:
Tipografia Poncioni SA
Losone - Switzerland
© AGIE
A company in the AGIE
CHARMILLES Group.
No responsibility is
taken for the technical
data or content of
articles.
AGIE SA
CH-6616 LOSONE
TEL. +41 91 806 91 11
FAX +41 91 806 92 60
www.agie.com
[email protected]
Cover picture:
The small series production of designer
jewellery which the Belgian company Mecasoft creates using ED
wire cutting proves that
electrical discharge
machining can also
have aesthetic aspects.
EMO 2003: Top event
in the tool branch
Top speed with
Agiecut Progress
Dear Readers,
The EMO taking place every
two years is the worldwide
largest machine tool exhibition.
An event, which all major manufacturers take as the opportunity, to propagate their latest
products. However the two
yearly event, is also giving a
good indication on: Which company has set new trends?
Which products have made a
technological leap? Which
ideas have gained acceptance
after two years on the market? If
this way of looking at things is
taken as a yardstick for innovation and progress, Agie does
not have to fear any comparison. Since the last EMO two
years ago in Hanover, Agie has
launched two new products
each in ED die sinking and ED
wire cutting, introduced various
systems for automating ED machining and implemented numerous new, in part patented,
software modules in the EDM
system controls. With time-cutting and performance enhancing technology, Agie products
are designed for customers’
everyday machining tasks:
▲ Top cutting speed
▲ Top precision
▲ Top removal rate
▲ Top flexibility
▲ Top universality
Under every application aspect
Agie can offer a tailor-made
product which then convinces
with top performances. Innovation that can be measured
against the machining result.
Such as Hyperspark and eCut,
the two new products, which we
present to you here below.
Michael Katz
Technical Editor
Numerous influencing variables
determine a machine tool's productivity. Thus an ED wire-cutting machine is not yet productive because of the fact that
high cutting rates are achieved,
but only the sum total of all the
functions, that have been
matched to each other, such as
setting-up, programming, optimised EDM non-productive
times and cutting technologies
bring maximum productivity.
With its integrated solution approach, Agiecut Progress offers
genuine competitive advantages, from job planning
through setting-up to the finished workpiece.
For this, Agie’s Research and
Development Department first
evaluated over 1200 concrete
requests by customers. They
formed the basis for the new
development of Agiecut
Progress. All the influencing
variables with respect to productivity were examined again
and again in theory and practice and taken into account in
accordance with their significance. The requirements from
the customers’ point of view
were:
With an identical cutting rate, a workpiece cut left with and right without
Dynamic Corner Control.
The advantages of the new generator
technology eCut.
Vsm 2,5
200%
Ø 0.15 mm
Vsm 1,5
Cutting speed
40%
Less filter consumption
40%
Ø 0.25 mm
Less resin consumption
60%
Less wire consumption
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AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
▲ High precision and surface
quality with one single cut
▲ Machining times which are
also interesting for the production of parts
▲ Absolutely minimum operating costs
▲ Highest possible removal
rate with variable workpiece
heights
▲ ED machining at full speed,
but at the same time with high
precision corners and radii.
The result: ED wire cutting systems which deal with machining
jobs with just one single precision cut, thus dispensing with
trim cuts. The new EDM technology, eCut, saves time, wire, filters and deionising resin to a
previously unknown extent. Cuttings rates of 350 to 500
mm2/min are achieved using
standard wires for most cutting
heights. New possibilities with
Agievision control halve the nonproductive times. Thanks to Dynamic Corner Control, corners
and radii are ED machined unbraked, but with the highest
precision. With Wire Bending
Control, precise workpieces are
achieved in real time by detection and correction of the wire
sag. Agiecut Progress ED wire
cutting systems open up the
widest application possibilities
thanks to their incision technology, high cutting rates, reduced
non-productive times and faster
optimising of the task-dependent parameters by the operator, both in tool and mould making, and in prototype and mechanical production.
’’
Top removal rates
with Hyperspark
It is possible to imagine the
EDM process as a balance between ED machined material in
the gap and evacuated material.
If this balance is not present,
then either you flush the machining zone unnecessarily, entailing
a loss of time and additional
process instability (a minimal
contamination of the gap is necessary, because if the gap is too
clean, the Servo must move too
close to the workpiece in order
to trigger discharges, but then
correct backwards immediately
in order not to damage the surface) or you ED machine the
same particles several times
which cannot be removed sufficiently quickly from the gap.
The new machining strategy (asymptote detection, increase in
current and impulse interruption)
is the subject matter of a patent
application and will be employed in all new Agie ED diesinking systems with immediate
effect under the name Hyperspark. The results correspond
with the theoretical ideas, especially there where good flushing
is guaranteed, such as, for example, in the case of pre-machined workpieces. For these
machining jobs we have doubled the removal rate. In the following applications, the gains lie
between 25 and 40%.
In general, the innovative generator Hyperspark offers an increase in productivity of approx.
30%, however, up to 100% in
the case of pre-milled moulds,
something that is encountered
increasingly nowadays through
the synergies with high-speed
milling. This refers to all roughing to finishing operations using
copper and graphite electrodes.
The advantages are particularly
great with good flushing conditions, and above all with premilled workpieces. These convincing results confirm: Yes, it is
certainly possible to increase
the speed and the productivity
of the ED die-sinking process.
And: The potential for improving
this technology is still considerable.
You can find the full article by El.
Ing. Dipl. ETHZ Marco Boccadoro under www.agie.com.
A tapered, 40 mm deep slit is to be ED
machined using a lamellar electrode. In
this well-known example, the challenge
lies in reaching an optimal homogeneity of
surface roughness. With a lamellar electrode (20 x 1 x 40 mm, 1 degree taper, undersize 0.5 mm, graphite EDM3, only
movement flushing) without Hyperspark a
depth of 40 mm was achieved with a surface quality of VDI 24 in 230 minutes. With
Hyperspark, the time required was just
170 minutes, equivalent to an increase in
speed of 36%. The electrode wear was 0.3
mm and the surface quality impeccable.
The EDM process must be a balance of
the removal to the lifting movement and
flushing.
4
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Mecasoft SA
Country
Belgium
Production
- Contract EDM
- Prototypes
- Small series
Target market
Europe
Employees
17
Founded
1986
EDM systems
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
Programming
- Mecanic
Agiecut Challenge 3
Agiecut Classic 3
Agiecut 320
Agiecut 120
Agiecut 200D
Agiecut DEM 315
Agiecut DEM 425
Agietron 200C
Agietron 1U
Agietron EMT 1.20
Clamping systems - Mecatool
Measuring, testing - Profile projector
Mecasoft S.A.
Zoning Molignée
Anhee
B-5537
Tel +32 (0) 82 61 16 12
Fax +32 (0) 82 61 36 35
[email protected]
www.users.skynet.be/mecasoft
Kontakt
Mecasoft SA, based in Anhee in Southern Belgium, is a contract EDM company with 17 employees and 11 EDM machines. The customers
come from the automotive, surgical and medical, nuclear, aerospace, jewellery and design
sectors, as well as the manufacturers of precision components for tools, machines and mechanics. The application spectrum ranges from
prototypes through small series to single part
production of the highest precision.
R. Brandt,
Commercial Manager
5
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
hours of ED wire cutting in
unmanned operation
Established among modern
technology companies
Mecasoft SA was founded in
1986 and today has 17 employees on its payroll. The company
based in the southern part of
Belgium has twenty years of
EDM know-how at its disposal
that is supported by a long list
of references from satisfied customers from the whole of Europe. Mecasoft SA’s customers
come from various branches
with the most varied orders:
- Automotive: plastic injection
moulding tools, threaded and
calibrated extrusion for complex
profiles, prototypes and accessories.
- Automotive: plastic injection
moulding tools, threaded and
calibrated extrusion for complex
profiles, prototypes and accessories.
- Nuclear: precision parts and
prototypes.
- Jewellery and design: rings,
pendants, earrings, prototype
parts, style studies, bracelets,
works of art and cups.
- Precision mechanics and tools:
components for machine building, calibration, punching,
pressing, extruding and injection
moulding tools.
- Surgery and medicine: small
series production of surgical
instruments, machine components and special instruments.
The example of an extrusion die
conveys an idea of the capability of Mecasoft SA, beginning
with the receipt of the order
through the generation of a
program, job preparation and
ED machining to the finished
product.
ED wire-cutting programs are generated
from the data which Mecasoft SA receives from its customers as CAD, CAM
or DXF files, and optimised to suit the
material and workpiece with the various
software modules of Agievision control.
5
6
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Mecasoft SA
Shaping the EDM sequence
to suit their own requirements
Mecasoft SA received the geometry data for the extrusion die
from the customer as a DXF file.
The workpiece was measured
directly on the Agiecut Classic
3, with the EDM wire and an integrated touch probe carrying
out the measuring cycles. The
control system took account of
any possible offset in the level
and height, and allocated the
new reference values to the
geometry program. The machining technologies, as well as the
working sequence and procedure were then generated automatically with a few requirements, such as surface roughness, contour tolerance, workpiece material and height, as
well as the EDM wire type. Teccut, a further Agievision module, made technology suggestions for this which the system
called up from a complete, intelligent database. As orders for
extrusion dies of this kind are received again and again, Mecasoft SA has stored this machining as a model using the Agievision module Workmodel so that
it can be called up as required.
High machine autonomy
guarantees long machining
times
The job preparation with clamping, plotting and data input is
complete. The ED machining can
start. The advantages of an
Agiecut ED wire-cutting system
now became apparent to Mecasoft SA:
- Thanks to 25-Kg wire spools,
long machining times can be
achieved.
- Thanks to the automatic adjustment of power for entry cuts or in
the case of wire breaks, there are
no interruptions because Agiecut
Classic 3 also threads automatically.
- Thanks to the generously dimensioned wearing and non-repairable parts, long service intervals are possible.
Flexibility for the most
varied machining jobs
The Agiecut Classic 3 ED wirecutting system offers further plus
points for Mecasoft SA as a contract EDM company:
- Thanks to the combined wireguide system for all diameters,
no wire guides have to be exchanged, and thanks to the simplicity of the system the threading of wires of any diameter is
extremely reliable.
- After a change of job, no new
programming has to be carried
out because, thanks to Pieceinsert.
In Mecasoft SA’s day-to-day
business, where it is necessary
to calculate very exactly, these
are time and cost advantages
which quickly pay off.
Diagrammatic representation of the
supply unit of an extrusion tool.
Measuring a workpiece on the
Agiecut Classic 3.
View of the EDM department at Mecasoft SA with the two ED wire-cutting
systems, Agiecut Classic 3 and
Agiecut Challenge 3.
A finished ED machined extrusion die
with metering flap.
7
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
The drop-out part of the extrusion die
makes clear the long cut contour of this
machining and the complexity of the mould.
The tool data
“
Tool name
Extrusion tool
Finished part name
Extrusion die
Die material
Stainless steel, hardened after machining
Workplace height
300 mm
Cut height
114 mm
EDM wire
CCD 0.25 mm diameter
Number of cuts
1 main cut, 1 trim cut
Surface roughness
Ra = 1,4 µm
EDM time
100 hours in unsupervised operation
As a contract EDM company, we are dependent on reliable ED machines with
high autonomy. Only thus can we react
quickly and flexibly to EDM orders with
the most varied requirements. With
Agiecut Classic 3 and Agiecut Challenge 3 we have the ideal ED wire-cutting systems for this so as to be able to
offer small series with long services lives
or competitive contract EDM and proto-
”
types.
We would like to thank Mecasoft
SA, in particular their managing
directors R. Brandt and Fr. Henry de Frahan, for their kind support and friendly collaboration
with this report.
Responsible
R. Brandt,
sales engineer:
Commercial Manager of
Reto Parolini,
MECASOFT SA
Agiesales SA
8
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Dal Sasso S.r.l.
Country
Italy
Production
- Manufacture of injection moulding tools to order and
for own requirements
- Production of plastic and thermoplastic parts
- Co-Design
Target market
International
Employees
65
Founded
1981
EDM systems
1 Agietron Impact 3
Programming
4 Stations 3D-CAD Think3
15 Stations 2D-CAD LT Auto-CAD
Clamping systems Erowa
Measuring, testing CMM from Brown & Sharpe networked directly online
Certification
in accordance with ISO 9001
Dal Sasso S.r.l.
Via dei Rutuli 101
I-04011 Aprilia
Provinz Latina
Tel +39 (0)6 92 50 00 08
+39 (0)6 92 56 255
Fax +39 (0)6 92 55 175
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.dalsasso.it
Contacts
- Marco dal Sasso, Director Tool and
Mould Making
- Luciano dal Sasso, General Director
- Giorgio dal Sasso, Production Manager
The Dal Sasso S.r.l. company based to the south of
Rome is a producer of plastic
and thermoplastic parts which are
used in the most varied branches.
Dal Sasso S.r.l. offers a full service:
From projecting through designing and
tool making to the finished product,
with a throughput time of just 3 weeks.
9
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
ED die sinking is
a key technology in
the production network
With consistent
investments to success
The Dal Sasso S.r.l. company,
based to the south of Rome in
the province of Latina, can look
back over 20 years of company
history. Founded as a family
company in 1981, Dal Sasso
S.r.l. today offers a full
service in the production of plastic and
thermoplastic parts,
in a factory area of
3200 m2 with 65
employees, 18 automatic injection
moulding machines
from 25 to 750 t
mould clamping
force, 18 machine
tools and 19 CAD
workstations.
This includes:
- Projecting
- Co-Design
- Design from a specimen part,
drawing or other CAD data via
IGES, VDA, DXF, DWG or STL.
- Tool and mould making for
own requirements or as a customer order.
- Pilot production on 3 automatic injection moulding machines
specially available for sampling.
- Injection moulding of parts up
to 4.5 kg weight.
Dal Sasso S.r.l. regards the ever
greater demand to cut delivery
times (time to market) as a challenge to provide its customers
with this time advantage by reducing the floor-to-floor times
within the company. This was
possible, on the one hand,
through the complete networking of all machines and computer stations and, on the other
hand, through consistent investment in modern operating
equipment, such as, for example, the Agietron Impact 3,
which today has a key function
in tool and mould making at Dal
Sasso S.r.l.
As the example of a casing for a medical device shows, the flow of data at
Dal Sasso S.r.l. is continuous at all
stages of planning and production:
From the receipt of the customer’s
specimen part through the CAD design,
the mould-flow simulation, the electrode and mould production to the injection moulding tool ready for use –
everything is networked online and can
be called up at any time.
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AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Dal Sasso S.r.l.
Continuous data flow in all
production phases
As the example of a casing for a
medical device shows, Dal Sasso S.r.l. is often also involved already in the project phase. Thus,
on the one hand, Dal Sasso S.r.l.
together with the customer was
able to optimise the casing to
suit the tool and, on the other
hand, it was possible to carry
out improvements to the design
with respect to the functionality.
Even in the tool-making phase it
was still possible to carry out detail modifications. Everything is
networked online at Dal Sasso
S.r.l. so that changed CAD programs can be transmitted in
seconds to the appropriate machine tools. This internal software is an own development by
Dal Sasso S.r.l. with which a report is also prepared for each
product. In this way it is possible
to trace back every step in production. In hectic times this is a
reliable documentation to present to the customer, and internally a check of productivity and
machine utilisation. Floor-to-floor
times of just 3 weeks, as in the
case of the two-part casing for a
medical device, are thus quite
realistic at Dal Sasso S.r.l.
Economic employment of ED
die sinking
The economic ED die sinking of
high precision and complex
mould inserts requires a great
spectrum of machining technologies and generator outputs, both
for a high removal rate and for
the finest surfaces. Features
which are convincingly applied
at Dal Sasso S.r.l.:
- The mould inserts for the upper
part were ED machined in 24
hours. The machining took place
autonomously by changing the
four HSC milled electrodes
made of medium-fine graphite
which had an undersize of 0.5
mm in each case. The cavities
were shaped spherically with
Equimode and had a surface
roughness inside of VDI 22 and
outside of VDI 28.
- Sixteen hours were required for
the mould inserts of the lower
part. The changing of the 5 electrodes also took place autonomously and the shaping was
carried our circularly. The same
surface roughness figures were
achieved as in the case of the
upper part.
- The 45 mm high ribs of the
casing were realised using a
ribbed electrode, and by pressure flushing from above.
Mould half for the rib structure of
the casing.
A workpiece is set up on the ED diesinking system Agietron Impact 3.
The lower part of the casing is
plotted on the measuring machine
after the specimen-taking. The data determined are sent online to
tool making that can then carry out
a variance comparison with them.
11
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
High autonomy makes short
throughput times possible
With the automatic changing of
electrodes as standard, the selfadapting change in generator
output to the state of machining,
as well as the high removal rate
with low wear, the Agietron Impact 3 contributes considerably
towards reducing the floor-tofloor times, and is thus an important part of the production network for tool and mould making
at Dal Sasso S.r.l.
Various mould inserts for the medical device casing. Both machining
processes, hard milling and ED die
sinking, are employed in accordance with economic viability and
precision factors.
The complexity of the casing results from the interior structure of
the device that was designed to
accommodate electronic and mechanical components.
The tool data
Name
Injection moulding tool with 3 slides
Name of finished part
Casing for medical device
Tool material
Steel 1.2083, Stavax, hardened to 54 HRC
Finished part material
Polycarbonate
Surface roughness
Inside VDI 22, outside VDI 28
Material electrodes
EDM 200, graphite medium fine from HKZ Tokai
Number of electrodes
4 for upper part, 5 for lower part
EDM time
24 hours for upper part, 16 hours for lower part
“
At Dal Sasso S.r.l. the standard in tool
and mould making is already far above
the average. Our demands on a new ED
die sinking system were all the higher.
The high removal rate with low wear and
the great autonomy with unsupervised
operation were the main arguments why
we decided on an Agietron Impact 3.
Marco del Sasso,
Director Tool and Mould Making
Dal Sasso S.r.l.
”
We would like to thank Dal Sasso S.r.l., in particular Marco dal
Sasso, Director Tool and Mould
Making, for their kind support
and helpful collaboration with
this report.
Responsible
Sales Engineer:
Giuseppe Bottazzi,
Agie Spa, Italy
12
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Forez
Country
Czech Republic
Production range
-
Market
60% Czech Republic, 40% Europe
Employees
130
Founded
1996
ED machining
1 Agietron Innovation 2
1 Agietron Impact 2
1 Agietron Impact 3
1 Agietron 2U
1 Agie Mondo Star 20
2 Agiecut Challenge 2
1 Agiecut Challenge 3
1 Agiecut Classic 2
Clamping
- Erowa for ED die sinking
- Own developments for ED wire cutting
Software
- 3D-CAD/CAM from Unigraphics
- Complete networking of CAD/CAM/CAQ
Certification
- In accordance with ISO 9001
- In accordance with ISO 14001
Measuring
- CNC measuring device DEA from Brown & Sharp
Production of blanking, bending and deep-drawing tools
Production of injection moulding tools up to 3500 kg
Production of test tools and moulds
Contract production of precision spare parts
Production of metal pressed parts
Production of injection moulded parts
Forez s.r.o.
Ostrov 2
CZ-56122
Tel +420 465 352 111
Fax +420 465 352 222
[email protected]
The Czech company has 130 employees on
its payroll and is based to the west of Lanskroun in east Bohemia. Forez s.r.o. is divided into two business sectors: Production and tool making. Stamped, pressed,
bent and deep-drawn parts are produced
on their own machines, as well as injection
moulded parts on their own automatic injection moulding machines with a clamping
force of 200 t. In tool making, for the most
part progressive dies, compression moulding and deep-drawing tools are manufactured. In addition for both sectors comes
designing on various CAD/CAM stations.
Forez s.r.o. thus belongs to the mediumsized companies in this branch in the
Czech Republic.
www.forez.cz
Contact
Ing. Jindrich Marek, Director
13
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Impact: ED die sinking
that makes an impression
Complete supplier
of metal and plastic parts
The Forez s.r.o. company,
founded in 1996 with 130 employees on its payroll, is one of
the medium-sized companies in
the tool and mould making
branch in the Czech Republic.
With state-of-the-art CAD/CAM
systems, ED die sinking and
wire cutting systems, milling and
HSC machines, as well as automatic pressing and injection
moulding machines, Forez s.r.o.
has set itself the target of establishing itself as a system supplier in the market. Already today,
renowned companies, such as
Bosch, Witte, Schneider Electric,
Visteon or Valeo, are among the
companies which all take ad-
vantage of the complete service
offered by Forez s.r.o. Annual
growths in turnover of 20 - 40%
are a further proof of the company’s high quality and production standard. The whole performance spectrum of Forez s.r.o.
can be shown by a car door insert made of glass fibre reinforced polyamide that was commissioned by an automobile
manufacturer. The extremely
complex form with several undercuts required more than fifty
shaped electrodes. For this the
two Agietron Impact were also
used which offered the greatest
machining autonomy with their
changers with spaces for 12 to
56 electrodes.
Three-dimensional representation of
the double injection moulding tool
with a mould insert for a car-door insert.
View of the development and design
department of Forez s.r.o.
The development and design of injection moulding tools are based on
mould flow technology by means of
which the flowability in the mould is
checked.
Representation of a mould half for
the car door insert as a volume
model.
A virtual world of tool and
mould making
In order not to experience any
unpleasant surprises during the
final sample-taking, nowadays
the flow property in the tool or
the functionality of the slides can
be simulated by means of various software programs. The
“dismantling” of the tool according to the machining steps or
the generation of electrode
moulds from the CAD data has
nowadays become everyday
routine on the PC. Virtual measures which make tool making
more certain and accelerate the
production sequence at Forez
s.r.o. too.
14
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Forez
Over 500 hours
of reliable EDM sequence
The production sequence for
the door insert was carried out
by Forez s.r.o. as follows:
- The injection moulding tool
was designed as a double tool
in order to economically
achieve the required service life
of 2 million single parts.
- After receipt of the CAD data
for the door insert from the cus-
The 2-fold injection moulding tool for the
production of automobile door inserts.
The view of the lower und upper die half as
well as the final product can be easily made
with the help of a 3D computer animation
program.
The EDM parameters are examined on the
EDM system Agietron Impact 3.
tomer, the injection moulding
tool with the various mould inserts was designed using the
3D-CAD program from Unigraphics.
- The production procedure was
determined on the basis of the
tool data.
- The electrode shapes were
generated from the CAD data of
the mould inserts.
- With these data, the programs
for the high-speed machining
and ED wire cutting for the electrode production were prepared.
- The CAM data were transferred by Agie Scriptfile to the
appropriate ED wire-cutting or
high-speed milling machine.
These data contain all the specific requirements for production, such as roughness, precision and production sequences.
- Before loading the Agietron
Impact changer, the electrodes
were measured and preset on
the measuring machine.
- Then the CAD electrode data
were supplemented with details
of the material type, undersize
and degree of difficulty.
- The input of data to the Agietron Impact was carried out by
describing the workpiece in accordance with the material, as
well as the placing, quality and
priority targets of the machining.
Various mould inserts made of tool steel
1.2343 for the double injection moulding
tool. In order to be able to eject the car
door insert made of glass-fibre reinforced
polyamide with 7 spring-loaded catches
and further undercuts, the tool has 2 times
12 slides at its disposal.
15
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
“
With the open system Agievision control, the user surface of which is nearly identical for both ED
die sinking and wire cutting systems, we have the advantage that we can standardise our internal
sequences. Starting from the transmission of CAD data through measuring in the machine to target-oriented data input on the Agietron or Agiecut. Especially the Impact ED die-sinking models
make an exceptional impression.
Jindrich Marek
Director of
”
- On the basis of the machining
task, the electrodes were put together to form a family which
could then be shifted to any coordination point without any further data input.
- After the input of the degree of
difficulties, the Agietron Impact
will then generate the technology from this and prepare the
machining sequence in accordance with the number of electrodes available.
- The workpieces were plotted
by Agiesetup 2D directly on the
Agietron Impact.
- As it was a double injection
moulding tool, all the mould inserts also had to be ED machined twice so that, for example, it was possible to use the
finishing electrode from the first
mould as the roughing electrode
for the second mould. These sequences were input, managed
and called up via the Agievision
module Toolmanager.
- Individual mould inserts were
pre-milled so that they only had
to be ED machined 0.5 mm with
planetary spotting.
- The ED die sinking works were
completed after 545 hours and
the use of over 50 electrodes.
- On all the forming parts, the
required surface roughness of
VDI 24 was achieved.
For Forez s.r.o. ED die sinking
that made an impression with its
autonomy and scope of performance.
Forez s.r.o.
Every detail of the mould inserts is plotted
on the DEA measuring machine from
Brown & Sharp. The data obtained are sent
online to design, compared with the given
geometry data there and, if necessary,
passed on to mould making for correction.
The finished door insert made of glass-fibre reinforced polyamide as it is then used
by the million in cars.
The tool insert data
Tool name
double injection moulding tool
Finished part name
car door insert
Mould inserts material
tool steel 1.2343
Finished part material
glass fibre reinforced polyamide
Tool weight
approx. 900 kg
Electrode material
Graphite
Electrode production
high-speed milling
EDM time
545 hours
Surface roughness
outside VDI 24
We would like to thank Forez
s.r.o., in particular Director Ing.
Jindrich Marek, for their kind
support and helpful collaboration with this report.
Responsible
Sales Engineer:
Reto Parolini,
Agiesales Ltd.
16
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
BT MagnetTechnologie GmbH
BTMT
Country
Germany
Production
- Ferrite magnets
- Sintered compacts
- Sintered bearings
Target market
International
Employees
approx. 500
Founded
Established in1989 by the companies Bosch and TDK
EDM systems
1
1
1
1
Programming
- PCam
- Mecanic
Clamping systems
- 3R
- own system solutions
Measuring,
checking
Agietron Exact 3
Agietron Intergral 3
Agiecut Evolution 2SF
Agiecut 220
- Measuring system Vista from Zeiss
- Contour measuring device from Hommel
- Measuring system Venturion from Zoller
BT Magnet-Technologie GmbH
Werkzeugbau
Forellstrasse 100
Herne
D-44629
Tel +49 (0)2323 201 361
Fax +49 (0)2323 201 402
The name BT Magnet-Technologie GmbH
stands for a company that is present with
its technologies in the markets for ferrite
magnets and sintered metal parts world
wide. The works in Herne (North RhineWestphalia, Germany), with over 500 employees on the payroll, produce around 18.0
million ferrite magnets as well as 8.0 million sintered compacts and approx. 6.0 million sintered bearings monthly that are supplied primarily to the automotive, automotive supplies and electric tools industries.
[email protected]
www.btmt.de
Contact
Frank Pietzuch, Manager Toolmaking
17
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Roughness values
and EDM time halved
Open up new markets
with new technologies
BT Magnet-Technologie GmbH
is a joint venture by Robert
Bosch GmbH and the TDK Corporation, Japan. BTMT utilises
the synergies resulting from
these two companies’ many
years of experience with the
production of ferrite magnets
and sintered metal parts.
BTMT’s customers include companies such as Robert Bosch,
Siemens, DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, Valeo, Luk, Visteon and
Denso. Already from the component development stage through
to the launch of a series, each
project is continuously attended
by experts from various specialised departments. Modern
sinter technology offers the following advantages:
- Production almost without any
loss of material
- High repeating accuracy with
large quantities
- Outstanding surface quality
- Material compositions which
cannot be presented with
molten steels.
The correct choice of materials,
as well as the mastery of the
production of high precision and
geometrically demanding components are decisive for the
success of the workpiece. As
the production example of a
clutch hub shows, electrical discharge machining plays a key
role in this: Repeatable results,
super fine surfaces, as well as
high machining autonomy.
At all stages of the production and development of the clutch hub, BTMT
makes use of the most modern technology – from computer-aided design
through automated production and
quality monitoring to the planning of
delivery (workshop drawing, mould insert and moulding plug of the sintered
pressing tool, check of the tool insert
on the Zeiss Vista measuring machine).
18
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
BTMT
The outside contour of the sinter moulding plug is ED die sunk in the reverse
process on an Agietron Exact.
On account of the high precision requirements and the complexity of the forms,
all the electrodes, both those made of
graphite and those made of copper, are
ED wire cut on an Agiecut Evolution 2SF.
A fully automatic handling device removes the finished clutch hubs from the
sinter pressing tool.
EDM programs are prepared
externally
After the receipt of the workpiece data for the clutch hub via
IGES or DXF, the design of the
sinter pressing tool is generated
from this by ProEngineer. Special emphasis is placed here on
designing correctly for the tool
and using technologies adapted
to the sintering process. When
the parts to be machined using
ED die sinking and wire cutting
have once been defined, the
EDM programs are prepared.
Thanks to the Agievision PC
software, this task is carried out
externally at the pre-setting position, where the workpieces are
also palletised, clamped and
measured. The machining programs are then allotted to the
pallets by means of Agie AV
Manager.
ED die sink punches in
reverse procedure
The following steps result for ED
machining:
- Preparation of the holder for
the roughing electrode
(graphite), the finishing electrode
(copper) and fine finishing electrode (tungsten-copper).
- ED wire-cutting of the electrodes as “dies” with the SF
module for the finest surfaces.
- Loading the electrode changer
with the electrode families.
- ED die sinking of the outside
and inside form of the moulding
plug from the material in automatic operation in which each
electrode is called up with the
machining technology and strategy allotted to it.
Few machining steps
increase the precision
Sintered compacts pass through
the following production
processes:
- pressing
- sintering
- possibly calibration in addition
- if necessary, further finishing
treatment.
If the machining steps during the
tool production are added to
this, it becomes clear that the
problem of positioning accuracy
must not be underestimated either when ED machining or
when sinter pressing. Because,
with each reclamping, fixing or
calibration operation, there is a
risk of a loss of positioning precision, even if “only” in the tenth of
a micron range. These minimal
deviations can then quickly add
together to 1 µm on the finished
part. Thus at BTMT the foremost
target, and also an integral part
of the quality management, is to
keep the number of machining
and production steps as small
as possible, and to document
each machining and production
step with measuring and test
procedures. Precision which
shows itself with a long working
life, for example with clutch
hubs.
19
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Already in 1998 with the Agietron Integral
we were able to practically halve the
times taken for ED machining and im-
“
prove the surface quality to Ra 1.24 µm.
Agietron Exact then brought a further improvement in EDM times of 20% and the
positioning accuracy now lies in the tenth
of a micron range. The Exact model in the
Agietron series bears its name with real
justification!
Frank Pietzuch
Toolmaking Manager of
”
BT Magnet-Technologie GmbH
We would like to thank BT
Magnet-Technologie GmbH,
in particular their Toolmaking
Manager Frank Pietzuch, for
their kind assistance and helpful collaboration with this report.
Responsible
Sales Engineer:
Klaus Schmidt,
AGIE GmbH
A “die” serves as a mould electrode for the
production of the outside contour of the
clutch hub.
The long travel paths of the Agiecut Evolution 2SF allow the working area to be optimally utilised, so that several workpieces
can be placed there to then be processed
autonomously.
The basis for the constant quality of
processes and products is certification in
accordance with ISO/TS 16949 as well as
VDA 6.1. In addition, the BTMT has the
most modern measuring and testing systems at its disposal which are employed at
all phases of production. Quality which
proves itself millions of times daily with
every gear-change using the clutch hub.
The tool data
Name
Sinter pressing tool
Name of finished part
Clutch hub for passenger cars
Moulding plug material
Powder metallurgical tool steel
Die material
Hard metal
Finished part material
Sintered material
Electrode material
Graphite for roughing, copper for finishing and
tungsten-copper for fine finishing
Electrode production
ED wire cutting with Agiecut Evolution 2SF
EDM time
EDM time: 70% ED die sinking and 30% ED wire cutting (incl. electrode production)
Surface roughness
Ra = 0,1 µm
20
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
PNPPK
Country
Russia
Production
- Navigation instruments for aviation and shipping
- Household and DIY appliances
- Medical diagnosis instruments
Target market
International
Employees
4200
Founded
1956
EDM systems
1 Agiecut Challenge 2
1 Agiecut Classic 2
1 Agiecut Classic 3
1 Agiecut 120F
1 Agiecut Sprint 70
1 Agietron Impact 2
1 Agietron Innovation 2
1 Agietron 3U
1 Agie Mondo Star 20
1 Agie Elox Mondo 1
1 Agie EDM-D
Programming
- Unicam
- 2D and 3D-CAD/CAM systems
- Agievision PC
Clamping systems - System 3R
Measuring testing - Global from DEA
PNPPK – Perm Scientific Industrial Instrument
Making Company
25.-Oktober-Strasse 106
Perm 614990
Russland
The PNPPK company based in the Urals
has 4200 people on its payroll and is the
largest producer of household appliances
and home working tools for the Russian
market. In addition, the enterprise is known
worldwide as the manufacturer of navigation instruments for the aviation and shipping fields. PNPPK has received awards on
several occasions in Russia for the “Best
Russian Product”, “Best Quality Production” and further prizes in various categories.
Tel +007 (3432) 45 23 36
Fax +007 (3432) 45 12 19
[email protected]
www.ppk.perm.ru
Contact
- Andrey Poloskov, Technical Director
- Viatscheslav Bloch, Deputy Manager
Manufacturing Technology
21
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
Virtuoso use of ED die
sinking and ED wire cutting
High-tech in demand from
Russia
Two hours’ flying time from
Moscow lies Perm in the foothills
of the Urals, the home of
PNPPK, the Perm Scientific-Industrial Instrument Making Company, founded in 1956. The
company has 5000 employees
on its payroll and is active in
three business fields:
- Navigation systems for die civil
and military aviation, for sea and
river shipping, as well as for terrestrial applications.
- Household and DIY appliances.
- Diagnosis instruments in the
medical sector.
PNPPK is not only a manufacturer here, but also has a large research and development department at its disposal, as well
as an efficient tool and mould
making facility with an ultra modern range of machines. With
their repeatable precision results
and their great autonomy, EDM
systems are also held in high regard at PNPPK as important key
stations in the manufacturing
process. The EDM systems from
Agie have proved themselves
both in tool and mould making,
and also in the series production
of gyro compasses.
Throughout controlled manufacturing is
applied by PNPPK:
Copper electrodes for the manufacturing of the housing for a percussion
drill.
A solid model of the percussion drill
housing is generated on the CAD system.
Insert for the plastic injection tool for
the percussion drill housing.
The most recent investments are
an Agiecut Challenge 2 and an
Agietron Impact 2, the performance spectrum of which is
shown in this report with the
production of an injection
moulding tool for the casing of a
percussion drill.
22
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
PNPPK
Combining complex forms
on one electrode
The CAD program was prepared on the basis of the design
drawings for the percussion
drill’s casing. From this PNPPK
generated the electrodes,
whereby as many mould
geometries as possible were
linked on one electrode, with the
advantages:
- fewer detail electrodes
- less positioning
- fewer co-ordinates
- fewer measuring operations
- fewer sources of errors.
The electrodes and workpieces
were plotted directly on the
Agietron Impact 2 with
Agiesetup 2D.
Equidistant shaping for
precise details
The data input was carried out in
accordance with the degree of
difficulty of the machining target
and was clearly structured
thanks to the input pages Easywork, Easygeo and Easymachining. Orbit movements were also
defined for various machining
steps which were freely defined
by means of Spacetrack. Agietron Impact calls up these parameters automatically for the machining step required so that filigree details can be shaped precisely equidistant, and sharp
edges generated for webs and
ribs. ED die sinking which is
shown with outstanding quality
on the percussion drill from
PNPPK.
The tool data
An Agietron Impact is loaded with one
mould half for the percussion drill
casing.
The electrodes milled from copper for
the percussion drill. Copper electrodes
were used even for the production of
the shell halves for the accompanying
tool case.
Plotting a mould half on a Global measuring machine from DEA.
Name
Injection moulding tool
Finished part name
Percussion drill casing
Mould insert material
Steel 4X5 MFS
Finished part material
Polyamid Aramid PA-SW 30
Tool service life
1 million parts
Electrode material
Copper
Electrode production
Milling and ED wire cutting
EDM time
72 hours ED die sinking
2,5 hours ED wire cutting
Surface roughness
Ra = 0,2 µm
“
In country of the inventor of electrical discharge machining, Agie has the best name of all manufacturers in the
field. The Russian husband and wife inventor team
Lazarenko made the natural phenomenon of electrical discharge machining controllable. Agie has optimised the
process over the decades and, in addition, was the first to
bring ED wire cutting onto the market. For us technical
competence that counts.
Viatscheslav Bloch,
Manager Manufacturing Technology
PNPPK
23
AGIE experience
No 23 October 2003
A further convincing example of the outstanding manufacturing technology of
PNPPK is the series production of gyro compasses. The workpiece is made of a special
alloyed steel and manufactured in over 30
single operations. Among other things, 11
slots are made by an Agiecut 120F and 40
slots by an Agie Elox Mondo 1. As one of the
last machining steps, 4 separating slots are
ED die sunk with an Agie Elox Mondo 1, by
means of which the internal part of the compass becomes fully movable.
The photos show the drawing and various
stages of the manufacture of the gyro compass.
We would like to thank PNPPK,
in particular their Technical Director Andrey Poloskov and the
Manager Manufacturing Technology Vyacheslav Bloch, for
their kind support and helpful
collaboration on this report.
Responsible
Sales Engineer
for Russia:
Hans Wyss