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Case Study / Topic 44 MoldMaking Technology —— SEPTEMBER 2017 Case Study / EDM FOR MORE INFORMATION Extreme Wire EDM Services Extremewireedm.com extremewireedm@sbcglobal.net 616-249-3901 GF Machining Solutions 847-913-5300 gfms.com/us we've cut a 28-inch-long keyway into a cylinder with no need for additional steps. We have also cut slots on the inside of a steel tube for a massive drill or auger," Bernt says. After a year of ownership, the mega CUT P 1250 has made a great impact on the company. Bernt says, "This machine has opened up a whole new category of work we could not do before. We can foresee growing the company by as much as 20 to 30 per- cent over the next few years because of our ability to take on larger jobs. We may even invest in a second 1250 down the road." © The helmet was programmed and produced by DAISHIN www.openmind-tech.com CAM? Still satisfi ed? Explore the benefi ts of hyperMILL ® and switch to the CAM solution for all of your 2.5D, 3D, 5-axis, mill-turn, HSC and HPC requirements. Hardened Table, More Taps Ensure Precision Extreme Wire EDM Services Inc. only uses GF Machining Solutions' AgieCharmilles- brand wire EDMs. Brian Bernt, vice president, says that there is one specific feature that these machines offer over most other options: the hardened steel table. "Many competing brands have soft tables," Bernt says. "If all your blocks are hard steel and you set one on a soft table and push the block, you are going to scratch the table. Everything is based off the table, including your accuracy, your Z height and the tapers." If there is a burr or a scratch on the table, that burr or scratch will prevent the block from lying flat. In a business where tolerances must precisely meet customers' specifications, Extreme can't risk the integrity of the tables. "You might be able to buy an EDM with a soft table for less money, but it can cost you later if that table is damaged," he says. Additionally, while it's common practice to set many smaller parts into the work area using clamping systems and tooling fixtures to secure them, about 70 to 80 percent of the molds with which Extreme works measure 35 x 28 inches (on aver- age). Setting them on the table is therefore a must, as is securing them with taps. Before taking delivery of its CUT P 1250, Extreme had several more taps added to the perimeter of the table to provide more clamping space for the large blocks. "Only having taps around the first couple inches of the table limits our ability to move parts around in the envelope and set up jobs properly," Bernt says. "It also limits the size of the workpieces that we can machine. If you have large parts sitting on that table, and all your taps are on the edge of the envelope, then you have covered your taps, and you cannot cut an unsecured workpiece." This image shows a very large block set up in the AgieCharmilles CUT P 1250 EDM. Notice how the extra taps Extreme Wire EDM had installed help secure such a large workpiece to ensure cutting accuracy and speed, not to mention protect the table itself from damage.