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moldmakingtechnology.com 35 approximately 180 pieces from the block into sizes necessary to meet daily EDM requirements, almost 25 percent remains as remnant material (visible in blue), which may or may not be usable. Not only is this poor material utilization, but this shop will incur costs associated with sawing labor, equipment maintenance and accumulated remnants. For new EDM mold requirements, purchasing large blocks of material rather than individually sized blanks seldom makes economic sense. For shops focused on mold repair operations or in emergency situations, purchasing graphite blocks may still be necessary, but this has been largely replaced by the ordering of graphite to size, as needed. In this approach, mold designers iden- tify areas within the mold that will require EDM, create blank sizes and then indicate those specific blank sizes on a purchasing list (see Figure 4). Set. The set-in-order 5S principle involves making workflow smooth and easy, arranging items for easy selection and preventing lost time. Set in order is a great tool for assess- ing EDM productivity and for deter- mining the need for a new machine, and/or electrode and workpiece holder technologies. If the department's bot- tleneck is EDM time versus electrode milling time, then the set-in-order effort should focus on increasing EDM machine efficiency, maximizing output and avoiding those bottlenecks. Advancements of EDM electrode and workholding techniques can be signifi- cant in dramatically improving EDM processing within many mold shops. EDM machines with toolchangers, high-speed graphite milling machines with robotics and integrated inspection capabilities all combine for a set-in- order magnitude of productivity. Flexible workholding systems and palletization of mold components can add another level of productivity by avoiding the setup rituals of indicating and centering electrodes and workpieces. Improved repeatability also enhances the quality of a shop's EDM-processed parts. Figure 5 compares the productivity of EDM-related equip- ment (EDM sinkers and milling machines) with various levels of automation. The illustrated baseline assumes that, with- out quick-change tooling, productivity and EDM utilization LEARN MORE Visit our EDM Zone for more information about electrodes, and wire, sinker and small-hole EDM. Go to moldmakingtechnology.com/zones for a complete list.