EDM Supplies For WEDM And Sinker Electrical Discharge Machines

EDM supplies are often overlooked in the rush to get things done in a precision machine shop, tool-and-die shop or Plastic injection mold making shop. This wastes both time and money, yet the solution is quite simple.

Without the best EDM supplies, quality and production both suffer. Also, the workforce morale takes a beating because even the simplest of tasks becomes very time-consuming without the proper equipment and EDM tooling.

Plastic injection mold

Typical WEDM supplies

Precision brass hole drilling tubes (hole popper tubes)
Filter cartridges
Resin-virgin and regenerated
WEDM tooling such as System 3R, Hirschmann, Erowa and Hermann Schmidt
EDM wires
Replacement parts
Rust inhibitors
Chillers
Metal polish
Cleaners
Magnets

Typical Sinker EDM supplies

Graphite, copper and copper tungsten electrode material
EDM tooling such as System 3R, Hirschmann, Erowa and Hermann Schmidt
Tapping electrodes
Dielectric fluids
EDM filters
Chillers
Rotating spindles
Tubing chucks
Magnetic chucks
Pallets
Surface finish gauges
Inspection equipment
Microscopes

Take the time to find the best solution for each aspect of EDM

One shop owner I know invested heavily in a CNC sinker EDM, yet neglected to buy any additional tooling. He failed to see the wisdom in upgrading his accessories and thus rendered his new EDM to the status of a fancy manual machine.

Rather than add accessories piecemeal, include the necessary tooling in the initial package, or at least make a coherent plan to build up the tooling over time.

A very short history of EDM tooling

For the general public EDM is still a relatively unknown metalworking process. Unless one has personal experience or knows someone who works in this field, chances are quite good that the world of electrical discharge machining is a mystery.

Like any specialized industry, EDM has it’s own terminology and way of doing things. The slang that is used could easily mislead a bystander into thinking something quite different is going on than is actually the case.

Words like tweak, bump, tickle, feather, smack, toast, NFG, fudge, hide and zit are all used on a daily basis. Actually, zit is less common now than in the past, due to improved circuitry and techniques. A zit is a DC arc, or pit that is EDM’d into the steel by mistake.

With the ever-improving technologies available today, EDM has moved away from being somewhat of a black art and into a fully explainable and manageable metalworking process. No longer is it a machine of last resort or specialty, but a mainstay of the industry.

Robots, electrode changers and pallets for sinker EDM

At one time, not so long ago, electrodes were set up manually, requiring continual operator attention. There were no standardized holders and most people used angle blocks, vises or Vee-blocks to set up and hold electrodes. This actually worked quite well, but is very time-consuming and demands a high level of skill.

Next came the standardized electrode holders, such as System 3R. This changed everything almost overnight. Now electrodes could be moved from the milling machine, lathe or grinder and installed in the sinker EDM with no set up time.

Improvements were made on the holders and the repeatability and reliability increased dramatically. Pneumatic chucks made the process simpler and more accurate.

Tool changers were built into the sinker EDM to enable overnight machining and less operator involvement.

Now there are robots that select workpieces mounted on pallets and change electrodes, leaving the guesswork entirely out of the equation. These sophisticated tools require a high degree of organization, but once set up they can run almost indefinitely. Some tool magazines can hold 100’s of electrodes and many pallets with mounted workpieces.

Add pre-setting stations and inspection stations to the process and you truly have a complete manufacturing cell for the EDM department.

More articles on EDM manufacuturing of plastic molds please go to this website site.

What Is Plastic Molding

Plastics are synthetically produced non-metallic compounds. It can be molded into various forms and hardened for commercial use. Plastic molding products can be seen everywhere. Examples are jars, protective caps, plastic tubes, grips, toys, bottles, cases, accessories, kitchen utensils and a lot more.

Even the keyboard and the mouse that you use are made through plastic molding. Even the plastic parts of the chair that you are sitting on are created this way.

The basic idea in plastic molding is inserting molten liquid plastic into a ready shaped mold, for example the mold of a bottle. It will be then allowed to cool, then the mold will be removed to reveal the plastic bottle.

Plastic molding

Plastic moulding can also custom-mold a wide variety of plastic products including: garden pots, cabinets, office trays and boxes, barriers, barricades and traffic signage and displays for product and marketing promotions.

If you are planning to go into plastic molding business, you should first know the different processes. Choose from a plastic molding process that fits your budget, your expertise, and your resources. Here are basic definitions of various methods of plastic molding.

The Plastic Molding Processes:

1. Injection Molding

In Injection Molding, melted plastic is forced into a mold cavity. Once cooled, the mold can be removed. This plastic molding process is commonly used in mass-production or prototyping of a product. Injection molding machines were made in the 1930’s. These can be used to mass produce toys, kitchen utensils, bottle caps, and cell phone stands to name a few.

2. Blow Molding

Blow molding is like injection molding except that hot liquid plastic pours out of a barrel vertically in a molten tube. The mold closes on it and forces it outward to conform to the inside shape of the mold. When it is cooled, the hollow part is formed. Examples of blow molding products are bottles, tubes and containers.

Equipments needed in setting-up a blow molding business are relatively higher than injection molding.

3. Compression Molding

In this type of plastic molds, a slug of hard plastic is pressed between two heated mold halves. Compression molding usually uses vertical presses instead of the horizontal presses used for injection and blow molding. The parts formed are then air-cooled. Prices of equipment used for compression molding are moderate.

4. Film Insert Molding

This plastic molding technique imbeds an image beneath the surface of a molded part. A material like film or fabric is inserted into a mold. Plastic is then injected.

5. Gas Assist Molding

Also called gas injection molding is used to create plastic parts with hollow interiors. Partial shot of plastic is then followed by high-pressure gas to fill the mold cavity with plastic.

6. Rotational Molding

Hollow molds packed with powdered plastic are secured to pipe-like spokes that extend from a central hub. The molds rotate on separate axes at once. The hub swings the whole mold to a closed furnace room causing the powder to melt and stick to the insides of the tools. As the molds turn slowly, the tools move into a cooling room. Here, sprayed water causes the plastic to harden into a hollow part. In this type of plastic molds tooling costs are low and piece prices are high. Cycle time takes about 40-45 minutes.

7. Structural Foam Molding

Structural foam molding is a process of plastic molding usually used for parts that require thicker walls than standard injection molding. Inserting a small amount of nitrogen or chemical blow agent into the plastic material makes the walls thicker. Foaming happens as the melted plastic material enters the mold cavity. A thin plastic skin forms and solidifies in the mold wall. This type of plastic molding can be used with any thermoplastic that can be injection molded.

8. Thermoforming

In this plastic molding process, sheets of pre-extruded rigid plastics are horizontally heated and sucked down into hollow one-piece tools. When the hot plastic solidifies, its shape conforms to that of the mold.

Tooling costs are usually low and piece prices vary on the machinery.

Plastic molding is a very technical process. It needs experts in this type of manufacturing business for it to be competitive in the market. Therefore, a very scientific and systematic study should be first made before going into this endeavor, if you want to know more about us, please go to our mean website to know more.

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