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EDM 36 MoldMaking Technology November 2015 (production) is approximate- ly 800 hours annually per machine. By incorporating an integrated tooling system, this annual productivity increases to 1,200 hours, or 50 percent more productiv- ity per machine. Another 50-percent increase in pro- ductivity can be gained by applying a pre-setting tech- nology to the tooling. Still further improvement can be realized by applying automa- tion to the integrated tooling system. Although many mold builders do not require full automation (or budgets won't allow for it), the additional machine productivity it may produce can approach 6,000 hours, or more than 95 percent annual utilization. This is a significant amount of through- put for any operation. Incrementally stocking blank sizes, by ΒΌ-inch or 5-mm increments, is another way to streamline electrode manu- facturing. Although there can be some material waste when standard electrode sizes are used, the two or three days that can be gained from using off-the-shelf pre-sized blanks promotes immediate EDM processing after a design is completed, often reducing mold delivery times. The final set-in-order consideration is a focus on further reducing mold delivery times by incorporat- ing standard outsourcing streams for operations that typically have been per- formed in-house. This helps achieve more aggressive build schedules without the purchase of additional machinery or labor. External value-added options now include mold design services (the new bottleneck of EDM), components with pre- machined features, pre-assembled electronic and hydraulic packages, and even graphite blanks with pre-machined quick- change patterns (see Figure 6). Standardize. Standardizing involves adopting best prac- tices, establishing a standard for every process, aligning FIGURE 5 This chart compares the productivity of various EDM sinkers and milling machines with various automation levels. Figure courtesy of Erowa System Solutions. CNC machine without automation CNC machine with automation ... and Preset ... and Robot ... and Postprocessor Graphite blanks with pre-machined quick-change electrodes are examples of value-added outsourced options. FIGURE 6 Select Quick Change Pattern 50mm holder 20mm slotted holder 54mm holder 30mm slotted holder 50mm holder 30mm slotted holder