PC control, adaptive control, and automated material handling pallet devices continue to produce high productivity for EDM, in both sinker and wire types, with finer finishes always the goal of future developments. Laser machining both in cutting and welding continues to benefit from new entries to the market, a number of which will be shown for the first time in this country at IMTS. Sawing goes CNC or manual depending on the need to cut large plate, bar, and ingot in production quantities. Welding workstations with robots continue to be popular, versatile, and easily moved on the shopfloor.

Wire EDM submerge cuts 30 deg tapers on 15 workpieces
The Robofil 330F is billed as the only wire EDM that cuts 30 deg taper on 400mm (15.75") tall workpieces while submerged, and delivers high-end performance at a mid-range price. The system's adaptive control cuts exceptionally well.

The 330F features larger X, Y, and Z travels of 400x300x400 mm (15.75"x11.8'x15.75") and U, V travels of 500x400 mm (19.68"x15.75"). The expanded U, V travels allow a workpiece to be positioned very close to the limit of the primary X or Y axis with full taper cutting capability over a very large working area.

Other advanced features provided by the Robofil 330F include a 20 kg (44 lb) wire spool and wire chopping unit, larger filtration capacity, unique slotted worktable, an enclosed cabin with crane loading door to control the work environment, the time-proven Charmilles ISOPULSE generator, and easy-touse Fanuc control.

The large wire spool size permits longer runs and reduces downtime required for wire changeover. As the wire travels through the lower guide, it is chopped into 2mm (0.080") lengths. The wire pieces are then evacuated to the collection bin in the back of the machine with a high pressure water stream.

Designed to remind the operator to change filters, the filtration system employs 12 paper media cartridges. During normal operation, only 11 cartridges are in use-the 12th is held in reserve. When the flowrate on the 11 primary filters reaches a set level, the 12th filter is activated. At this point, a special message appears on the operator's screen alerting that in approximately 12 machining hours, a filter change will be required.

An innovative worktable design allows easy setup of large and small workpieces. The slots run horizontally on the table, positioned on 50mm (2") centers for easy installation of all tooling manufacturers' dovetail strips.

Also being shown at IMTS 98 is the new Roboform 50/51 die sinker series, with a large 2 ft X travel for increased EDM versatility when machining large workpieces. Expanded X, Y, and Z travels of 24"x15.7"x17.7" give this die sinker series 16% larger travels than most machines in its class. In addition, the Roboform 50/51 series has a large table (29.5"x19.7-) and is able to accommodate workpieces weighing up to 1.6 tons-all within a compact footprint of 61.4 "x78.7"x114.2 ".

The Roboform 50/51 series features a versatile C-axis for angular positioning of heavy and wide electrodes, linear glass scales on all axes for optimal accuracy, and the ISOPULSE generator for unparalleled surface integrity. Easy-to-use and reliable Program-Expert and PilotExpert software is also included.

For convenient accessibility, the Roboform 50 comes with a two door tank, and the Roboform 51 has a three-sided drop tank for easier access when handling heavy or large workpieces.

Other machines being shown and demonstrated will be the Robofil 6020Si wire EDM, the HD8 small hole driller, the Brother HS5100 submerged wire EDM machine, and Robofil 310 and 510 wire EDMs fully equipped for unattended machining.

Charmilles Technologies Corp, Lincolnshire, IL, Booth #C1-5007; circle 535 Control for EDMs Using the Automatic Erosion Programming (AEP) feature, SuperStar guides users on Mondo Star 20 and 50 die sinking EDM systems through each job in logical sequence allowing them to reactivate existing jobs at any time. The highly flexible interface also reduces programming times to minutes instead of hours, simplifying complex job programming for multicavity, planetary, helical shape, deep rib, and four-axis erosion. With SuperStar, a complex four-cavity mold complete with orbits and measuring cycles is done in less than 10 min compared to 1 or more hr with other systems.

Agie USA Ltd, Davidson, NC, Booth #C1-5205; circle 534

Graphite electrodes

An assortment of graphite electrodes machined from different grades of POCO materials will be exhibited. Also being offered are technical and educational literature for the EDM industry. The EDM Technical Manual, also available on CD-ROM, contains performance charts for all POCO electrode materials. The performance charts provide the user with metal removal rates, percentages of wear, and surface finishes for eight popular workmetals. Poco Graphite Inc, Decatur, TX, Booth #C1-5035; circle 543

Bench-top EDM

The Model D55GL is billed as the only bench-top precision EDM machine to use a precision ground granite base column for accuracy and is ideal for standard and high resolution machining. The 3-axis D55GL features a 7.5"xl3"x7"worktank, a larger 20 A power supply, and 6" servo travel. Model D55G1 is designed with a T-slotted face on the servohead to allow extra long electrodes and accommodate a large number of accessories without sacrificing distance between servo head and table. The 360 deg rotating bidirectional head allows 30% faster metalremoval rate in blind cavities.

US EDM Systems, Bridgeview, IL, Booth #C1-5202; circle 548

Wire EDM

The 203F2 wire EDM delivers full range, high-speed nonelectrolysis AC machining from rough to fine finish, as well as exceptional overall surface finish quality and integrity. The 203F2 is extremely compact requiring less than 58 sq ft of floor space including maintenance area. The entire system-machine, control, and dielectric system-are efficiently incorporated on a single platform. Maximum workpiece capacity is 17.7"x13.7"x6"6" high. Table load capacity is 4401b. Travels are 12.5 for X, 9.8" for Y, and 6.6" for Z. Standard taper angle is 12 deg with 30 deg optional. Standard wire diameter is 0.012" with 0.004", 0.006", 0.008", and 0.010" optional. The 203F2 weighs in at 3300 lb.

Hitachi Digital Graphics USA Inc, Buffalo Grove, IL, Booth #C15221; circle 544

Wire EDM machines

The Fox 500 series wire EDM machine features X, Y, Z travels of 14"x20"x10"and the Fox 800 series machine features travels of 20"x32"x12" and cutting speeds of 25.1 sq in per hr using brass wire. Maximum workpiece dimensions are 20"x32"x10" for the 500 series and 26"x41 "xl 11' for the 800 series. An automatic wire carriage system complete with wire chopper is standard.

EDM Solutions, Elk Grove Village, IL, Booth #C 1-5043; circle 539 Rotary indexers

These rotary indexers allow for the rotating of round parts to 24 set positions at 15 deg increments or can be set to any angle and locked in place. These workholders aid in the cutting of fluted form tools and small round shanks. Both rotary indexers are made of stainless steel allowing the fixture to be put in the EDM tank. The high-precision indexer, 0.0001 TIR, comes with a set of nickel-plated collets that range in size to accommodate shanks from 16" up to 1/2" dia. The economy rotary indexer, 0.0005" TIR, holds any standard 5C collet and comes with a 20mm collet.

Gaiser Tool Co, Ventura, CA, Booth #C1-5112; circle 553

Plate saw

A new generation plate saw for sawing large plates and ingots uses a 25/8" band saw blade for faster, more precise cuts of such tough metals as titanium, tool steels, Inconel, and other steel alloys. The extra wide blade is tensioned to 39,000 psi using an internal, hydraulic band tension system to provide exceptional beam strength. It is powered by a 15 hp motor capable of infinitely variable band speeds from 40 to 360 ft/min. Grooved band wheels and quick change, carbide blade guides are standard, so a 2" saw blade can also be used. An automatic backgage assembly and laser line marker built into the saw head help provide sawing accuracy. DoAll Co, Des Plaines, IL, Booth #B1-6905; circle 538

Bandsaw blade

With a ground tooth profile, the Lenox GT bi-metal bandsaw blade is said to deliver up to a 30% better performance than the best milled blades. The precision tooth form with a ground gullet finish and sharpest available cutting edge results in a more consistent performance cutting difficult-to-cut work and work hardening materials. The GT tooth profile reduces the cutting force needed to penetrate the material, delivering straight and accurate cuts. Blade widths include 1'/4", 1 1/2t, and 2 (34, 41, and 54 mm) and are available with 2/3 and 3/4 TPI.

American Saw & Mfg Co, E Longmeadow, MA, Booth #B26806; circle 546

Laser system

The SLS 200 pulsed ND-YAG, fiber optic beam delivery laser system covers a working range from 50 to 250W, covering application ranges from precision cutting to drilling and welding. The SLS 200 can be integrated easily into new or existing workstations and is available with up to four fiber optic outputs for energy and time sharing with various laser parameters. Other features are the sealed power supply with active cooling, interface and software to PC terminal, modem for remote operation and diagnostics, and closed loop energy feedback with cruise control.

Lasag Corp, Arlington Heights, IL, Booth #B1-6986; circle 541

Robotic solutions

The FabWorld II features an SK-series robot and the Motoman Servo Gallows (MSG). The robot is mounted on the MSG so that it can be easily positioned about large parts. The WorldLite series is equipped with a low-cost, compact SV3 robot for small part welding. SpotWorld is a pre-engineered spot welding solution. Its dual robot configuration doubles production and offers benefits such as reduced floor space requirements, reduced I/O interface, and reduced power drops. The ArcWorld II-116HD features a fast, heavy-duty part positioner with a compact design. The ArcWorld III1200 features high-speed servo positioning to maximize productivity and achieve HyperProductivity. The SK16 robot is well suited to machine loading/unloading applications and the NY II-series robot is a flexible casting cutting system.

Motoman Inc, West Carrollton, OH, Booth #B1-6000; circle 554; http://www.motoman.com

Gantry cutting system

The Acculine AMG is a high accuracy moving gantry cutting system that is offered in a wide variety of standard work envelopes and is engineered to take full advantage of the omni-directional, non-contact attributes of waterjet technology. It is designed for use with modern, high reliability intensifiers such as the Ingersoll-Rand Streamline SL-IV series. The AMG combines outstanding flexibility with exceptionally low maintenance requirements to achieve cost-effective production. The system uses a PCbased CNC controller that is specifically configured for waterjet cutting machines, providing contouring accuracy and full control of the water and abrasive functions.

ABB I-R Waterjet Systems LLC, Farmington Hills, MI, Booth #Bl6073; circle 560; http://www.abb. se/flexible/market.htm

Diode laser

The DI 020 diode laser combines high 2.0kW power output, compactness and wall-plug efficiency (more than 30%), made possible by an exclusive diode stacking and unique cooling system design. The laser head can be held in the hand, measuring just 16.0" long, (including water and optic couplings), 6.3" x4.8", plus modular power supply units make the system and robotic integration easy. Micro channel water cooling provides efficient cooling for the diodes and lifetimes which exceed 10,000 hr of operation. With no mirrors or output couplers to misalign or service, maintenance is minimized. The DL 020 is ideal for soldering, welding plastics and thin metals, and surface treatment.

Rofin-Sinar Inc, Plymouth, MI, Booth #B1-6703; circle, 547 Vertical bandsaw

The Marvel Series 8 Mark II vertical bandsaw has a capacity of 18"x22", with an option of going up to 28 high. The all mechanical blade drive and feed system, combined with simple controls and ease of operation, make this a very simple saw to maintain and operate. The unit's work height, large table size and accessibility offer easy loading and unloading, and accommodate a wide range of sizes and types of material. The machine also features mitering up to 45 deg to the left or right.

Armstrong-Blum Mfg Co, Mt Prospect, IL, Booth #B1-6901; circle 557; http://www.sawing.com Circular cold saws

The KKS 400 series circular cold saw is designed for small to medium structural sections and solids and provides quick setup times, 180 deg miter capacity, and highly accurate cuts. The saw provides cost efficient sawing on sections and solids up to 5" and also includes fully automatic sawing with magazine storage, output sorting, and programmable miter capability.

Kaltenbach Inc, Columbus, IN, Booth #Bl-7495; circle 559 Mitering bandsaws

The AutoCut series bandsaws feature mitering up to 45 deg to the left and up to 60 deg right. The saws have push button operation, vising is quick and simple, and the operators console information system includes data such as power on, bladespeeds, drive motor load, blade tension, broken blade, and overload conditions. Models available include 9" and 12" sizes, and all sizes are available in manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic. Kalamazoo Machine Tool, Kalamazoo, MI, Booth #Bl-7198; circle 561 Range of COZ lasers

The 1000 watt laser boasts a footprint of 1.3m2 providing space saving design for tight facility situations. The STS 3500 is a mid-powered laser rated at 3500W for a variety of cutting, welding, and cladding applications. The 6000W laser provides original equipment manufacturers and end users with a legitimate choice of lasers for their welding and thick plate cutting applications. In addition an OEM referral service aids end users in determining the advantages of lasers in applications for cutting, welding, cladding, and perforating. 


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