Wire EDM Makino UPV-5

Makino UPV-5  Wire EDM

The UPV-3 and UPV-5 ultra-high-precision WEDM machines are designed with an oil dielectric system for precision machining of carbides and other hardened materials used in the manufacturing of tooling for precision stamping, fine blanking and powdered-metal forming. These machines are also capable of processing complex cutting tools and cutting tool inserts made of PCD, or polycrystalline diamond. These complex tools will usually have a PCD cutting surface mounted to a tool steel or carbide substrate.

An oil-based dielectric fluid allows a smaller spark gap (i.e., the gap between the wire electrode and the workpiece at the time of electrical discharge) than a water-based fluid. This facilitates precision machining of narrower slot widths and smaller corner radii. These wire EDM machines are equipped with Makino’s newly developed SPG II machining circuit that provides significant improvements in best surface finish and finish machining efficiency. A surface finish of 0.2 mRz is obtained under standard machining conditions for 20mm (0.79-inch) thick workpieces measuring up to 100 x 100mm (3.93″ x 3.93″).

Another advantage of an oil-based dielectric system is that there is no softened HAZ layer produced when processing carbide, nor will any surface corrosion occur on machined surfaces. In long-run applications where the machined parts must remain submerged for extended periods, this can be critical in controlling corrosion or oxidation layers on parts that are susceptible to these effects. When cutting carbide materials in deionized water, for example, an electrolytic corrosion can occur. These materials can range from various grades of tungsten carbide to traditionally recommended EDM-grade carbides. When this happens, the result is cobalt binder depletion in the workpiece. Using oil dielectric instead of water, this electrolytic damage is eliminated, thus extending edge quality, edge life and overall cutter life. Oil dielectric fluid is well suited to the machining of hardened materials and polycrystalline diamond (PCD).

In carbide machining testing performing as burns, the UPV machines have proven to be up to 22 percent faster than Makino’s current water-based machines, and up to 78 percent faster than Makino’s prior oil-based technology, with good sealed flushing.

Both UPV machines are fitted with PICO precision wire guides that have a proven record of high performance on Makino’s DUO and Uj-Series WEDMs. The UPV-3 has XY-axis travels of 14.56″ x 10.63″ (370 x 270mm), while the UPV-5 provides XY-axis travels of 21.65″ x 14.56″ (550 x 370mm).

Wire Electric Discharge Machine

Numbers matter. That’s why, with more than 140 patents, Makino is the world leader in EDM technology, providing faster processing times and superior surface finishes for even the most complex and involved part geometries.

By combining innovative Makino machine tools and software with game-changing support from Makino Engineering Services, shops of every size are competing and winning the kind of work that matters on the global EDM stage. The flexibility of Makino technology and proven turnkey engineering solutions allows for EDM solutions at all levels to help further reduce operational costs.

BellyWIZARD™ is an exclusive Makino wire EDM technology that automatically selects the optimum machining parameters for those applications that, top to bottom, require exceptionally straight parts. BellyWIZARD meets today’s manufacturing demands for lower costs, reduced lead-times and tighter tolerance by providing up to 40 percent improvement in part straightness with fewer passes than conventional wire EDM technology.

Additional Information:

Reduce Belly/Bow
One of the most difficult challenges faced by wire EDM operators is the machining of vertically straight workpieces to very close tolerances. Inaccuracies are usually at their worst in the center of the vertical span of a workpiece. These inaccuracies are typically defined as a “belly” or “bow” in the workpiece. Such an error occurs 90 percent of the time during the initial rough-cut operation.

The advantage of using BellyWIZARD wire EDM technology is that it reduces the belly or bow in workpieces during these roughing operations. By reducing the belly or bow in the rough cut, thus cutting closer to the final net shape, this technology reduces or eliminates the need for additional skim-pass machining.

When skim-pass machining is necessary to achieve finer surface finishes, BellyWIZARD helps to reduce the total cycle time and consumable costs by reducing the amount of error (belly/bow) and remaining material on the final part, thus leading to faster skimming times.

Improved Compensation
BellyWIZARD technology is built into the E-code, so that parameters change automatically with workpiece height. The technology compensates for changes in the wire caused by eroded wear and wire lag. This compensation is done by automatically machining on a slight taper in the rough cut and through adaptive servo movements. The result is that BellyWIZARD produces straighter and more accurate parts without increased wire consumption. The improvement in part straightness can be as much as 40 percent over conventional wire EDM technology. This reduction in both total cycle time and production costs makes your shop more profitable.

H.E.A.T. (High-Energy Applied Technology) is a Makino advancement in wire EDM technology that dramatically reduces cutting times while maintaining exceptional part straightness with one- or two-pass cutting accuracy.

• H.E.A.T. cuts parts 18 to 44 percent faster than conventional wire EDM approaches while holding tolerances of straightness to 0.0005″ (T.I.R.) with one pass and 0.0002″ (T.I.R.) with two passes.
• H.E.A.T. increases skim speeds by 50 to 100 percent in real-world applications and conditions including poor flushing situations, non-sealed nozzle applications, parts with uneven surface thickness and through holes as well as parts up to 6 inches tall.
• H.E.A.T. delivers high-speed performance in difficult, real-world EDM production environments, especially job shops specializing in medical, aerospace and similarly demanding parts.

New H.E.A.T. addresses all types of available wires for cutting tool steels:

• Brass and coated wires
• Paraffin and non-paraffin wires
• High zinc

H.E.A.T. generator enhancements:

• BellyWIZARD™ –  Unmatched part straightness
• CornerWIZARD™ –  Excellent geometry control
• PowerWIZARD™ – Superior wire-break prevention/optimized machining speed and flushing control

SurfaceWIZARD™ is an important innovation from Makino that improves performance in difficult, real-world production of EDM parts for medical, aerospace and other applications where precision and exceptional surface quality is required. SurfaceWIZARD is particularly useful in parts with variable shape, thickness or sudden changes in thickness, such as a stepped part. It also produces excellent results cutting through cross-drilled holes or other similar detail.

Before SurfaceWIZARD, burning parts of this kind would often leave “witness” lines, the telltale lines left at the transition from one-step thickness to the next. To remove witness lines, a part would require either bench work or secondary operations, each of which increases production costs and slows delivery. SurfaceWIZARD technology virtually eliminates witness lines and maintains part straightness.

Benefits of SurfaceWIZARD:

• Minimizes witness lines that occur due to material thickness and stepped changes
• Eliminates wire-break issues
• Improves part straightness
• Achieves more consistent, higher-quality surface finish
• Suppresses errors caused by changes in machining condition variables by employing new generator and adaptive control technologies