Wire EDMs Equipped with Moldmaking Features

GF Machining Solutions’ AgieCharmilles Cut 200/300 MoldTech series of wire EDMs is designed to meet the needs of moldmakers. According to the company, the machines are equipped with a bundle of dedicated technical features and capabilities for accurate, efficient machining of highly complex parts with variable surface heights or taper cuts. Suitable applications include plastic injection molds, aluminum extrusion dies, and components for the aerospace and medical industries. The MoldTech package is available on four GF Machining Solutions high-speed wire EDM models: the Cut 200 mS, Cut 200 Sp, Cut 300 mS, and the Cut 300 Sp.

The EDMs’AgieCharmilles AC Cut human-machine interface (HMI) helps to reduce setup and improve productivity. The Taper-Expert smart module for cutting highly precise large taper angles with quality surface finishes. The module enables the use of large-radius wire guides and soft brass wire, and compensates in real time for the pivoting point drift in the Z direction when the angle changes. The module is said to enable surface finishes of (Ra) 0.2 micron and better angle cuts ranging to 30 degrees.

The control also features Taper-Expert Advance, a taper adjustment function for fine-tuning the CNC parameters and control taper accuracy. The HMI also includes AC Opticam 3D, an onboard CAM system capable of importing 3D CAD files including Parasolid and IGES. Users can bring solid model files into the control, extract all ruled shapes and automatically generate the ISO code for each profile.

The EDMs’ Multijet smart threading system enables threading start holes as small as 1.5 mm in diameter, even when the machine is in a position to cut tapers ranging to 30 degrees. Additional features include a Power-Expert wire-breakage prevention module and Surface-Expert smart system that monitors and adjusts sparking parameters, which also helps prevent wire breakage.