Experience: Issue 25 (PDF | 2.1 MB)

PARTNER TO THE BEST

Axxicon – Netherlands

Güntensperger – Switzerland

Feintool - Switzerland

Kummer – Germany

Karl-Heinz Müller – Germany

Kaufmann – Switzerland

Golden times in EDM wire cutting

With the Gold Edition you are the winner!

NO. 25

T H E A G I E E D M M A G A Z I N E

E EXPERIENCE 25 21.03.05 14.4.2005 9:40 Pagina 1

Agietron Spirit 2 is the ED die sinkingmachine for universal use, from simpleto demanding machining jobs. For fastset-up, simple operation and reliableED machining:- Simple data input with a few intuitiveinputs and self-explanatory symbols.- Short set-up times with manual con-trol and automatic measuring cycles.- High removal performance and lowwear with new generator technologies.- Exclusive EDM function with Jog EDmachining. Electrodes can be centred in already existing tools.- Made in Switzerland in Agie's state-of-the-art production workshops.

Agietron Spirit 2: Unique in its class!

AGIE SAVia dei Pioppi 2CH - 6616 LosoneSwitzerlandTel. +41 (0)91 806 91 11Fax +41 (0)91 806 92 [email protected]

AGIETRON

With the right attitude to ED die sinking

Agie Charmilles Group

500.

028.

218


Nr. 25April 2005Appears in English,French, German andItalian.

Edited and text by:M. KatzGraphics and pagination:R. Grizzi, F. SimonaPrinted by:Tipografia Poncioni SALosone - Switzerland

© AGIEAn Agie CharmillesGroup Company.No responsibility isaccepted for technicaldata or the content ofarticles.

AGIE SACH-6616 LOSONETEL. +41 91 806 91 11FAX +41 91 806 92 [email protected]

About the cover picture:Using EDM systemsfrom Agie, the Swisscompany Alois Gün-tensperger AG manu-factures punching andforming tools withwhich it produces teethfor zip fasteners of theworld-famous Riribrand on the company’sown presses.

Dear Readers,2004 was the year in which Agiecelebrated the fiftieth anniversaryof its founding. Our customersand suppliers, representatives ofpublic offices and institutions cel-ebrated with us. We say thank youvery much for their attendanceand the commitment of all ouremployees. Now the festive yearhas come to an end and the NewYear is putting us in a confidentmood. New products have beendeveloped, the ranges of modelshave been improved and at thisyear’s EMO in Hanover Agie willbe able to present the first prod-ucts of the “EDM Futura” project.So the course has been set forthe future. Let us hope that theeconomic environment for thiswill also be right, then nothingmore will stand in the way of yourand our success.

Today you are holding the 25th is-sue of Experience in your hands.Also a small anniversary that maybe demonstrated with a few figures:1993 was the year of the first

issue133 articles on customers

have been published16 different countries have

been represented up to now

2656 pages have been printedin 4 languages

550,000 is the estimated total print run

A success to which you, as anAgie customer, have decisivelycontributed, making the publica-tion into what Experience is today:The only ED machining customermagazine. Thank you very much!

Michael Katz

Technical Editor

Agiecut Classic 2S and 3S GoldEdition are based on the well-proven Classic series which issuccessfully on the market. TheGold Edition is a special pack-age containing various functionsto shorten the setting-up andthreading times and offeringhigh added value with numerousadditional optional features:

2005‘‘2AGIE experienceNo 25 April 2005

Golden times in EDM wire cutting

Halved set-up timesWith Gold Edition’s selectablethreading mode, setting up be-comes more efficient on theAgiecut Classic 2S and 3S:Highest speed (8 - 15 seconds),highest reliability or a combina-tion of both. With the Gold Edi-tion’s selectable positioningmode, setting up becomes fasteron the Agiecut Classic 2S and 3S:Depending on the application,one or more optimising possibil-ities can be employed.

A good start in the year:


’’Agietron Spirit 2 is the ED die-sinking machine for fast settingup, simple operation and reli-able ED machining.Every Agietron Spirit 2 containsdecades of Agie EDM know-how.In the machine tool, the controlsystem, the generator. Made inSwitzerland.The Agietron Spirit 2 can be uni-versally employed. From simpleto demanding machining jobs.For this Agietron Spirit 2 offersa multitude of functions and de-vices making this ED die sinkingmachine unique in its class:

3AGIE experienceNo 25 April 2005

Simple data input.The operator is guided throughthe program with self-explanato-ry symbols. Minimal data on theworkpiece and electrode are suf-ficient, and the control systemwill generate the optimal EDMtechnology.

Short setting-up times.With manual control, automaticmeasurement cycles, as well asgood accessibility to the workarea, EDM jobs can be startedwithin the shortest time. Clam-ping, measuring, ED machining –Agietron Spirit 2 does not requireany special previous knowledgeof ED die sinking.

High removal rate.With new generator technologieswhich achieve removal ratesthrough the intelligent interac-tion of various functions that areabove average in all fields of ap-plication.

Great application spectrum.With four controllable and pro-grammable axes, an extensivechoice of technology, as well ashigh thermostability, the wholemachining range of ED die sink-ing can be coped with using theAgietron Spirit 2, from simple re-pair jobs to complex multicavi-ties.

Agietron Spirit 2 with perfor-mance features which are farabove the average for their class.

The Agie noveltiesWith the right attitude to ED die sinking

Additional added valueAgiecut Classic 2S and 3S asGold Edition are ED wire-cuttingsystems containing numerousadditional optional features of-fering added value without addi-tional costs. The Agiecut Classic2S and 3S models as Gold Edi-tion offer a complete range ofequipment for planning, settingup and ED machining. ED wirecutting with great convenience ata small price.

With the Gold Edition you arethe winner!



Country Netherlands

Production - Prototype injection moulding tools- Pilot run injection moulding tools- Heavy-duty composite injection moulding tools

Target market International

Employees 325 worldwide, 130 of them in Helmond

Founded 1947

EDM systems 2 Agietron Innovation 2, each with an Erowa ERS handling system

1 Agietron Integral 31 Agiecut Classic 2S Celebration

Programming - ProEngineer for electrodes- Hypermill for CAM

Clamping systems Erowa

Certification NEN-EN-ISO 9001-2000

Measuring, testing - Holos measuring machine from Zeiss

Axxicon Moulds Helmond BV

P.O. Box 237

NL-5700 AE Helmond

Kanaaldijk z.w. 7b

NL-5706 LD Helmond

Netherlands

Tel +31 492 598 888

Fax +31 492 533 825

[email protected]

www.axxicon.com

AXXICON Moulds Helmond BV

The internationally active Axxicon Moulds Helmond BV

has its head office in Helmond, near Eindhoven. The

company, certified in accordance with ISO 9001, has 325

employees on its payroll worldwide and specialises in

the complete manufacture of injection moulding tools,

from simple to composite moulds, as prototypes, as well

as for pilot runs. Axxicon develops and produces plastic

parts and components itself for various branches.



Innovative ED die sinking for highly complex mouldsSystem supplier for the high-tech branchesAxxicon Moulds, based in Hel-mond, Holland, is a companythat is internationally active intool and mould making. Axxiconhas 325 employees on its payrollworldwide and runs 6 productionplants in 4 countries. Thesemanufacture standardised toolsfor the following fields:- Optical storage media (Axxiconis the No. 1 worldwide here)- Tool systems for testing thecompressive strength and in-flammability of polymer plastics.Customised tools are manufac-tured for: - High-quality disposable articles- Mobile phones- Pharmaceutical and medicalappliances.Axxicon has manufactured seve-ral injection moulding tools forthe latter field which are used forthe production of insulin syringesfor self-medication. This reportshows you how innovatively EDdie sinking has been employed inthis connection.

The cut open mould insert clearly shows the use of the

copper electrode which produces the steep helix inside the

casing by means of the simultaneous rotation of C-axis and

downward movement of Z-axis.

The insulin syringe with closing cap is manufactured and

assembled completely at Axxicon.

Grid model and mould insert of the casing interior with the

steep helix.

Axxicon generates the CAD program for the tool-making

in accordance with the customer’s drawing.

The tool for the production of the syringe casing generated

as a solid model from the CAD program.



AXXICON Moulds Helmond BV

The two robotised Agietron Innovation ED

die-sinking systems are often up to 4

weeks uninterrupted in use.

Mould insert for the interior mould of the

closing cap which forms the teeth.

Mould insert for the casing interior with

the copper electrode which produces the

helix by moving the C and Z-axes.

In medicine, quality is the measure of all thingsAxxicon won the order to manu-facture the mould inserts for in-jection moulding tools for theproduction of insulin syringes.The customer’s article drawingserved as the starting materialfor the design of the mould in-serts. On the basis of the plasticmaterial to be used and the di-mensions, the amounts ofshrinkage were determined andthen detailed drawings of the in-dividual syringe componentswere prepared. The machiningprocesses were then defined inaccordance with precision andeconomic viability criteria. Theforms for the electrodes were de-rived from them using ProEngi-neer, and manufactured by high-speed milling. The individual toolmodules were clamped pal-letised, measured on the mea-suring machine and the referencewere allotted to the machinetools’ programs. Large cavitieson the tool were then pre-milledby high speed milling. The twoAgietron Innovation ED die-sink-ing systems were employed forthe fine and precision work.

Reliable ED die sinking for automated sequencesAll the electrodes and work-pieces were clamped and plottedat the presetting position. Themeasurement data with the ref-erence points were loaded on theAgietron Integral and allocated tothe EDM programs. Then the pal-letised, clamped workpieceswere loaded onto the ERS han-dling system from Erowa and theelectrodes were fitted onto theAgietron Innovation’s electrodechanger. The machining pro-grams were allocated to the elec-trodes and were displayed onceagain two or three dimensionallyby means of the Graficheck. ED machining was started andthe preset program was workedthrough reliably, with copperelectrodes being provided for ma-chining separating surfaces as itwas possible to achieve optimalfitting accuracy and the requiredsurface quality of Ra 0.8 µm. Forthe machining of pre-milledmoulds graphite was used, asthe electrode material for highremoval rates. After 100 hours,the mould inserts for the blueclosing caps were ready, and af-ter 250 hours those for the blackinside part with the helix. Thanksto automated ED die sinking,Axxicon was able to deal withthis order on time and in the re-quired quality.


Name 8-fold injection moulding tool for insulin syringe casings

16-fold injection moulding tool for insulin syringe interior with helix

Tool material High-grade finished steels Stavax and Elmax

EDM time 100 h closing cap, 250 h interior with helix

Finished part surface Ra 1.0 µm

Electrode material Graphite, copper for separating surfaces

Electrode production High-speed milling

Surface roughness Ra 0.8 µm closing cap, Ra 1.3 µm interior with helix

One of the two Agietron Innovation 2 is

always in use. The reliability of the two

Agietron Innovation has more than

convinced us. It is quite certainly not

every day that you have four weeks

non-stop EDM in one go, and yet it is

reassuring when you know that

electrodes are still being changed with

the same Swiss precision on the last day

as on the first day.Han Bucks,

Manager of the EDM Department

of Axxicon Moulds Helmond BV


The tool data

”

We would like to thank AxxiconMoulds Helmond BV., in partic-ular Han Bucks, the Manager ofthe EDM department as well asRon Maarschalkerweerd fromthe sales force of our Dutchagency De Ridder b.v., for theirkind support and helpful co-op-eration with this report.

Responsible

Sales Engineer:

Flavio Guadagnini,

Agiesales Ltd.

“Graphite electrode and mould

insert for the insulin syringe

closing cap.

The “closing cap” mould insert

is measured on the measuring

machine and checked for the given

form accuracy.

Part of the insulin syringe casing

with the window aperture for

reading and setting the insulin

dosage.

Half of the injection moulding tool

mould for the production of insulin

syringe casings.



Country Switzerland

Production - Blanking tools- Progressive tools- Fine cutting and forming tools- Injection moulding tools- Punched products


Employees 50

Founded 1979

EDM systems 1 Agietron Hyperspark 2 with 50-fold electrode changer1 Agietron Exact 3 with 28-fold electrode changer1 Agietron Integral 3 with 28-fold electrode changer1 Agietron 1001 Agietron 200 with 14-fold electrode changer1 Agiecut Vertex2 Agiecut Excellence 31 Agiecut Progress 21 Agiecut Progress 31 Agiecut 1701 Agiecut 200D+SF1 Agiecut 100D

Programming - Mecanic for ED wire cutting- 3D Mastercam and 2D Alphacam for HSM milling- 2D One Space Designer Drafting (ME-10) and

3D One Space Designer Modelling from Solid Designer for CAD

Clamping systems Erowa

Measuring testing Measuring machine LH 87 from Wenzel

Alois Güntensperger AG

Roswiesstrasse 25

CH-8608 Bubikon

Switzerland

Tel +41 (0)55 253 29 29

Fax +41 (0)55 253 29 20

[email protected]

www.guentensperger-ag.ch

Contact Alois Güntensperger, Company ownerMartin Betschart, Manager Engineering




The company, founded by its present owner,

Alois Güntensperger, in 1979, has developed

from being a small jobbing EDM business into

an undertaking with over 50 employees. Alois

Güntensperger AG’s fields of activity are the

manufacture of blanking, fine blanking, pro-

gressive and injection moulding tools, as well

as punched products which are manufactured

in the company itself.


The finished casing for clamping con-

tacts shows the precise shaping of

even the smallest details.

The CAD design drawing of a mould

cavity shows the various mould in-

serts.

The two slides are coloured blue and

yellow in the CAD design drawing.

Data input on the Agietron Exact to

create the ED die sinking program.


Alois Güntersperger AG

A success story with electricaldischarge machining Just recently, Alois GüntenspergerAG celebrated its 25th anniver-sary. A success story for thebusiness based in Zurich Ober-land which began in 1979 withan ED wire-cutting machinefrom Agie. Today, Alois Gün-tensperger AG has over 50 em-ployees on its payroll and a com-prehensive range of state-of-the-art machines at its disposal,covering the high-end spectrumof tool and mould making:- Blanking tools- Progressive tools- Fine blanking and formingtools- Injection moulding tools.In addition, punched productsare manufactured on heavy-dutypresses which are used in themost varied branches. A 16-foldinjection moulding tool, that wasmanufactured to the order of arenowned plug manufacturer,shows how expertly and, above all,how according the schedule, theAlois Güntensperger AG uses EDdie sinking and wire cutting.



Economic use of means of production Mould inserts and active parts ofthe 16-fold injection moulding toolwere selected in accordance witheconomic criteria of the means ofproduction. Economic, becausetime-saving hard milling could notbe taken into account in view ofthe complexity of the form. On theother hand, EDM systems were inuse for over 450 hours. A quarterof this was ED wire cutting andmost of the rest was carried outwith the ED die sinking systemsAgietron Hyperspark and Exactwhich, thanks to their electrodechangers, made unsupervisednight and weekend operationpossible. Forty different mouldelectrodes were needed for the16 mould cavities so that, all inall, with roughing and finishingelectrodes, more than 100 elec-trodes had to be produced. Cop-per was chosen as the electrodematerial for its great fidelity todetail. The electrodes were man-ufactured with high-speedmilling machines, then pre-clamped, measured at the pre-setting position. The data wereallocated to the references onthe two ED die-sinking systemsand the changers loaded with theelectrodes.

React proactively to customers’ requirements When Alois Güntensperger AGreceived the order for the manu-facture of a 16-fold injectionmoulding tool, they knew that re-quests for changes to the finalproduct from the customer’s sidewould still have to be taken intoaccount at all time. The drawingfor the casing of a clamping con-tact served as the starting basisfor the tool design. From it, AloisGüntensperger AG generated theCAD data for the tool. Already inthis phase, the possibility ofchanges was taken into accountwith mould cores being plannedon a modular basis. Thus if theeventuality arose, it was possibleto react quickly to changes re-quired in the geometry or dimen-sions. The necessary flexibilitywas provided with EDM as thecore manufacturing technology,as in ED wire cutting, only thecontour program and in ED diesinking possibly a few electrodeshad to be changed. EDM’s highdegree of repeatability when po-sitioning, when applying cuts orcavities exactly, was brought fullyto bear.

The slide is mounted on the finished

injection moulding tool.

Convenient setting up of the Agietron

Exact with manual operation.

A mould cavity of the 16-fold injection

moulding tool for the production of

clamping contacts.

Construction drawing, set of electrodes

and ready to use slide for undercuts on

the injection moulding tool.



Alois Güntersperger AG

Sixteen times exactly the sameform accuracyWhen ED die sinking the 16 mouldcavities, the Agietron Hypersparkand Exact convinced with thesefunctions and performances:- Thanks to Agiesetup 2D, it waspossible to set up the mould in-serts without fine adjustment.- It was possible to transfer theelectrode design data by Script-file, an exclusive Agie feature inED die sinking, directly to thecontrol.- Thanks to Formalcheck, thedata input could take placequickly and completely.- With Graficheck it was possibleto display the machining jobstwo and three dimensionally, asin the drawing, and to simulatesequences for maximum safety.- Thanks to Easygeo, it was pos-sible to select and generateplanetary strategies easily .- Pieceinsert gave the flexibilityto interrupt a job quickly, carryout an express order, and then toresume the previous job, exactlywhere it had been interruptedwithout reprogramming.- It was possible to carry out thedata input without technologytables as Tectron automaticallyselects the correct machiningtechnology on the basis of thedetails on the workpiece andelectrode.- The performances with respectto removal, surface quality andpositioning accuracy were out-standing on both machines.

Features which proved them-selves for Alois GüntenspergerAG 16 times on the injectionmoulding tool and finally also onthe finished article, the casing ofa clamping contract. Technicalmould making particularly mustmeet high standards with respectto form accuracy, surface qualityand long tool lives.

ED wire cutting separated from classical useThe complexity of the 16 mouldcavities of the injection mouldingtool required a specific design forthe tool, in accordance with eco-nomic and process engineeringaspects, getting away from theclassical use of ED die sinkingfor injection moulding tools andED wire cutting for blankingtools. The share of 120 hours EDwire cutting shows that at AloisGüntensberger AG this processhas the same important role inmould making as ED wire cuttinghas. With Agievision, Agie EDMsystems have a control systemthat comes very close to this phi-losophy with an almost identicaloperating surface for die sinkingand wire cutting.

Convenient setting up of the Agietron

Exact with manual operation.

The slide is mounted on the finished

injection moulding tool.

A mould cavity of the 16-fold injec-

tion moulding tool for the produc-

tion of clamping contacts.

The company owner, Alois Gün-

tensperger, still takes a hand with

ED machining, here while preparing

an Agiecut Progress for unsuper-

vised night operation.

ED wire cutting is also a key tech-

nology at Güntensperger AG with

high-precision active parts of tools.



Measuring a slide for the 16-fold

injection moulding tool on a mea-

suring machine from Wenzel.

We would like to thank theowner of the company, AloisGüntensperger, for his kindsupport and helpful co-opera-tion with this report.

Responsible

Sales Engineer:

Martin Planzer,

Agiesales Ltd.

The tool dataName 16-fold injection moulding tool

Finished part name Casing for clamping contacts

Finished part material PA 6.6 V0

Tool material 1.2379, active parts powder metallurgical steel M 3 90

Tool weight 420 kg

Electrode material Copper


Number of electrodes 40 mould electrodes, all in all over 100 for roughing and finishing

EDM time 480 hours, 25% of which ED wire cutting

Surface roughnesst VDI 18

At the time of

founding the com-

pany 25 years ago,

I began with an

EDM machine from

Agie. Since then,

I have remained

faithful to the

brand, because a

part of my compa-

ny’s success is

quite certainly also

based on the relia-

bility and precision

of these EDM sys-

tems.Alois Güntensperger,

Owner of the companyder


“

”



Country Switzerland

Production - Fine blanking presses with pressing forces of 250 kNto 14000 kN

- Tool systems for fine blanking and metal forming- Multifunctional parts and components for:

AutomotiveElectrical and electronic devicesOptical and medical appliancesHousehold and tool devicesLeisure and sports equipments


Employees 1800 worldwide, half of them in Switzerland

Founded 1959

EDM systems 2 Agiecut Progress 21 Agiecut Progress 31 Agiecut 250 HSS1 Agie Mondo Star 201 Agietron EMS 1.101 Agiedrill

Programming - Solidworks for CAD- Topsolid for CAM

Clamping systems Own solutions

Certification ISO 9001: 2000

Measuring, testing 3D-CNC measuring machine from Zeiss

Feintool Technologie AG Lyss

Industriering 3

CH-3250 Lyss

Switzerland

Tel +41 (0)32 387 51 11

Fax +41 (0)32 387 57 88

[email protected]

www.feintool.com

Contact Kurt Naef, Manager Technology Centre

FEINTOOL Technologie AG Lyss

Feintool, which has been quoted on the stock market

since 1998, is market leader in the field of mechanical

and hydraulic fine blanking equipment and tools. The

internationally active company is divided into 4 divisions:

Fine Blanking Technology, Automation, System Parts as

well as Plastic/Metal Components. Founded in 1959, the

Group has over 1800 employees on its payroll worldwide

and supplies the automotive, electrical/electronic and

telecommunications industries, as well as further innova-

tive branches.



Progressive ED wire cutting for fine blanking tools

Technology pioneer in fine blankingFeintool’s company history beganin 1959 as a 3-man pioneeringbusiness and developed into theinternationally active groupwhich today holds the marketleadership in the field of fineblanking presses, as well as inthe manufacture of fine blankingand metal forming tools. Withtechnology centres in three con-tinents, its own production andmarketing establishments in Eu-rope, the USA and Japan, as wellas a network of competent agen-

cies, Feintool is the partner forcustomers in the automotive,electrical/electronic andtelecommunications industries,as well as in further innovativebranches. The technology of fineblanking, which reduces theprocess chain in the conventionalmanufacture of functional partsmade of sheet metal to 2 to 3machining steps, also helpedFeintool to success. Fine blank-ing and metal forming tools areneeded for this which mustsatisfy the high demands for pre-cision. As the example of a baffleplate for an automatic transmis-sion shows, an ideal field ofemployment for ED wire cutting.

The starting point for the design and

production of a fine blanking and metal

forming tool for the production of baffle

plates for an automatic transmission

was the customer’s drawing.

A cut-open automatic gear illustrates

the classical range of application for

functional parts made of sheet metal

which are manufactured with the

production processes fine blanking and

metal forming.


On Agiecut Progress, a mould die

is presented three-dimensionally

by Graficheck.

FR FR FR

FG

FS

FS = FR = FG =

�

�

�

�

�

� �

� �

� �

X ~ 5% S

S

FS

H

A

S

X ~ 0,5% S

FR FR

FGFS FS

FS

FR

FG


FEINTOOL Technologie AG Lyss

stepped workpieces, for the auto-matic execution of measurementcycles, for inserting express jobswithout reprogramming, for pro-gram generation without techno-logy tables or for flexibly settingpriorities.The sum total gave shorter set-up and EDM times which, in com-bination with fewer wearing parts,led to lower operating costs,which for their part increasedFeintool’s competitiveness.

New cutting technology accelerates EDM“The Agiecut Progress machinesput into use since the beginningof 2004 allow Feintool to be at thehighest level with regard to man-ufacturing quality, safety and per-formance, and to increase flexi-bility, and this with simultaneousreduction of the operating costs.”This is the assessment of KurtNaef, the manager of Feintool’stechnology centre. Here are someof the performance features ofAgiecut Progress:- Finest surface qualities areachieved by the new generatortechnology eCut with the fine-fin-ish module.- Smaller interior radii can be re-alised by using the finest wires,without replacing the wire guides.- Increased reproducibility by us-ing state-of-the-art digital tech-nology.- Precision is achieved in themicron-field by continuous mea-surement and correction of theaxis positions using a dual mea-surement system.- In addition, functions for thecorrection of wire sagging, for theunbraked cutting of corners andradii without loss of precision, foradapting power in the case of

The technology of fine blanking and metal forming tools

The 3-forces principle in tool and press

used in fine blanking and in fine blanking

combined with metal forming.

The two process fine blanking (top) and

normal punching taking the example of a

counterbalance weight in comparison.

Comparison of the process chain with con-

ventional manufacture and fine blanking.

Cutting forceKnife-edged ring forceCounterforce

Cutting force

Knife-edged ring force

Counterforce

1. Blanking die

2. Stripper plate

3. Punch

4. Ejector

Normal punching

Conventionalproduction

Fineblanking

Fineblanking

1. Cutting out a blank

2. Punching a centre hole

3. Punching a window

4. Flattening

5. Milling teeth

6. Bevelling a tooth tip

7. Finishing

8. Boring a centre hole

9. Chamfering a centre hole

1. Fine blanking

2. Bevelling teeth tips

3. Finishing

Comparison of the two processes

normal punching with fine blanking.



The fine blanking and metal forming

tool with various EDM wire-cut active

parties which are ready for fitting.

With Agievision control unit programs,

cutting technologies are allocated to

the baffle plate’s geometries.

A punch guide and punch which has

been hardened and coated for protec-

tion against wear.

We would like to thank FeintoolTechnologie AG Lyss, in partic-ular Kurt Naef, the Manager of the Technology Centre, fortheir kind support and helpfulco-operation on this report.

Responsible

Sales Engineer:

Olivier Beutler,

Agiesales Ltd.

The tool data

Name Fine blanking and metal forming tool

Finished part name Baffle plate for an automatic transmission

Finished part material 4.5 mm thick steel strip

Finished part surface quality VDI 24

Tool material Tool steels and powder metallurgical tool steels which

have been hardened and coated for protection against wear

Tool weight 1600 kg

Tool working life 100.000 parts until resharpening

EDM wire CCA 0.2 mm diameter

Cut heights 60 to 100 mm cylindrical

Number of cuts 1 main cut and 5 trim cuts

Surface quality Ra 0.2 µm

Positioning accuracy ± 5 µm over the whole tool

The manufacturing data

“

”

Since we have had the three Agiecut Progress machines

in operation, EDM wire cutting has become more than

one third faster in our works. And this thanks to func-

tions, such as Variocut, Dynamic Corner Control or Wire

Bending Control with constant high precision. Punches

and dies can be fitted into the tool in many applications

without any further finishing.Kurt Naef,

Manager Technology Centre of

Feintool Technologie AG Lyss



Country Germany

Production - Progressive dies in modular construction for internal and external requirements

- Precision stampings in various types of machining as large and small series

- Electromechanical assemblies in metal and plastic composite construction

- Plastic technology with extrusion coating of inserts or in the reel-to-reel procedure


Employees 100

Founded 1970

EDM systems 1 Agiecut Excellence 21 Agiecut Evolution 2, automated with AstroDisc1 Agiecut Evolution 32 Agiecut Challenge 31 Agietron Impact 2, automated with AstroDisc1 Agie Mondo Star 201 Agietron 100C

Programming - 2D workstations Daveg Cadda V4- 3D workstations Unigraphics V18

Clamping systems Mecatool

Measuring, testing Measuring machines from Werth, Zeiss and Mahr

Presetting Zeiss Vista with Agie AV-Manager

Certification - ISO/TS 16949: 2002- DIN ISO 14001

Kummer

The company Kummer GmbH & Co. KG

was founded in 1970 and has since then

developed into a sound, medium-size

business with some 100 employees

working in premises extending over

7,500 sqm. with regular customers in

all important branches of industry. The

range of services includes design, tool

making and the series of precision

stampings. As a system provider, injec-

tion moulding with the metal-plastic

composite speciality is just as much

part of Kummer’s range as the versa-

tile, polished assembly technique.

Kummer offers a complete service,

from the design to the assemblies

ready for installation with documented

quality.



Kummer GmbH & Co. KG

Enzberger Strasse 26

D-75443 Ötisheim

Tel +49 (0)7041 95 80-0

Fax +49 (0)7041 95 80-99

[email protected]

www.kummer-gmbh.de

Contact Wolfgang Hofmann, Managing DirectorJens Hofmann, Managing Director

Punching and injection moulding in one working cycleTechnical know-how, highestwillingness to work and operat-ing efficiency as well as a consis-tent market orientation havemade Kummer GmbH & Co. KG,with its four business sectors,tool making, stampings, assem-blies and plastic technology, intoa supplier with a high reputationin the electrical, automotive andaircraft industries, and also inother important branches of in-dustry. The special strong pointof the Swabia (Southwest Ger-many) based business is pro-gressive injection moulding, acarefully targeted further devel-opment of the well-known reel-to-reel method. This fully auto-matic production process wasdeveloped by Kummer them-selves, combining and reducingthe process line necessary up tonow: metal forming – extrusion-coating – metal forming into onesingle process. The interaction ofall the tools involved in the pro-duction process requires thehighest form and fitting accuracyfor all active parts. An ideal fieldof application for the use of EDmachining which has had aname at Kummer for years: Agie.


EDM for innovative injectionmoulding and punchingComplete solutions for complex componentsThe example of an electroniccomponent shows how Kummercan supply the automotive indus-try with design and productionengineering measures reliablyand cost-effectively. The elec-tronic function, size and quantityof the component are defined bythe customer. Then Kummer de-signs the form under the aspectof price optimising. Just as im-portant an influencing variable intool production at Kummer is EDmachining, for it is the machin-ing process with the highestavailability. Thus, whenever pos-sible, the construction is “EDM-friendly”. The range of machinesto hand, with 8 EDM systems,underlines EDM’s role at Kum-mer. Design itself is carried outwith modern 2D and 3D CADsystems which are in a data linkwith the CNC machines, makingrapid data access and changespossible at short notice.

The various machining steps through

which the electronic component pass-

es are to be seen from the construc-

tion drawing.

The blanking and injection moulding

tools necessary for the electronic

component are designed at the 2D and

3D CAD/CAM workstations.


Kummer GmbH & Co. KG


Exactly fitting ED machiningwithout finishing workAll the tools that were integratedinto the progressive injectionmoulding production process hadto meet high standards with re-gard to fitting and form accuracyin order to guarantee optimalfunctioning adjusted on one an-other. A few key figures make theprecision requirements clear:15 million components per

working life were required.0.2 µm Ra was the surface

roughness for all the active parts manufactured using ED wire cutting, such as punches and dies.

6 trim cuts were required for this.

24 VDI surface quality was achieved on all ED die sink-ing machined mould inserts.

± 5 µm position accuracy was maintained over the whole tool.

20 % approx. was the percenttime share of ED die sinking and

30 % approx. was the ED wire cutting share of the total production time for the complete progressive injection moulding tool.

The high degree of autonomy andautomation of the Agie EDM sys-tems used here more than madeup for the "slowness" of ED ma-chining due to the nature of theprocess.

Workpieces and electrodes are

prepared for the next job at the

presetting position. The AV Manag-

er software program from Agie

effectively supports this.

The EDM department at Kummer

is excellently equipped to meet all

machining and economic viability

requirements.

The process in progress is checked

and, if necessary, optimised on the

Agietron Impact ED die sinking

system.

Bending stations are incorporated

into a blanking tool module with a

graphite electrode.

In a first step in the integrated

production process, the strip is

punched.

The punched strip is then extru-

sion coated.

In a third step, the component is

equipped with the electronics and

assembled. The actual process of

progressive injection moulding is

completed with the punching out

of the component.



Progressive injection mouldingcombines several processesThe line production known up tonow, with punching – stamping –bending – injection moulding –taking out, is often combined intoone working cycle by the "pro-gressive injection moulding" de-veloped by Kummer. In this, theinjection cycle, as the most time-consuming process, sets therhythm for the other manufactur-ing processes, thus ensuring ab-solutely synchronous production.The advantages are sustainable:- Production tolerances are re-duced to a minimum.- Better quality results from this.- The reject rate is markedly re-duced as there is only one pro-duction process.- Handling entailing high labourcosts is completely omitted.- The production sequence isaccelerated.- Process reliability and cost sav-ing reach new dimensions.For Kummer it is thus provedthat with highly qualified employ-ees, Innovation and imaginative-ness coupled with meticulousjust-in-time logistics, the loca-tion Germany does not have to bea disadvantage. With a recentlycompleted new factory extension,Kummer is maintaining this the-ory, investing in the future.

The conventional reel-to-reel

method (above) and the progres-

sive injection moulding developed

by Kummer.


Kummer

View of the stations of the integrated pro-

duction process in progressive injection

moulding.

At a further station, electronic elements

are fed to the strip fully automatically

with which the component is then

equipped and assembled.

In a final phase, the electronic component

is also enclosed in a casing made of plastic.

All the electronic components are

checked by Kummer for their functioning.

Kummer’s quality management also in-

cludes the fully air-conditioned measuring

room where the electronic components are

checked using various measuring and test-

ing methods. Recorded and documented

quality proving Kummer’s high manufac-

turing standard.


We would like to thank KummerGmbH & C. KG, in particulartheir managing partnersWolfgang and Jens Hofmann, for their kind support and helpfulco-operation on this report.

Responsible

Sales Engineer:

Alfred Lirsch,

Agie GmbH

“

”

Just as we have already long been using the ED wire cutting

and die sinking systems from Agie in combined operation, with

the progressive injection moulding developed by us, we have

combined forming, bending, injection moulding and separating

into one working cycle.Jens Hofmann,

Managing Director

of Kummer GmbH & Co. KG

The tool data

Name Quadruple progressive injection moulding tool

Finished part name Electronic component

Finished part material Metal: CuSn6, silver plated

Plastic: PBT-GF 30

Tool material Punching: Hard metal

Injection moulding: Tool steel

Tool weight 700 kg

Standzeit Werkzeug 15 million

Electrode material Graphite


Cutting wire CCA 0,2 mm

Number of cuts 1 main cut, 6 trim cuts

EDM time 20% ED die sinking and

30% ED wire cutting of the total production time

Surface quality Ra 0.2 µm on the ED wire cut active parts

VDI 24 on the ED die sunk mould inserts

Position accuracy ± 5 µm over the whole progressive injection moulding tool




Country Germany

Production Injection moulding tools for the manufacture of- automotive parts such as e.g. connectors, casings,

spools- extrusion coated filter cloths- medical parts- electrical parts for the household

and communication sectorsFor this, among others, technologies such as- reel-to-reel- insert moulding as well as- two-component processes are used.


Employees 45

Founded 1984

EDM systems 1 Agiecut Challenge 21 Agiecut 1202 Agietron Innovation 2 with a 28-space electrode changer

Programming - Peps 5.0- Agievision PC

Clamping systems - Mecatool ICS- System 3R

Measuring, testing - Zeiss C 400 U-Soft AV-Manager- Mitutoyo optical measuring system- Mauser measuring device

Karl-Heinz Müller KG

Mühlrainstrasse 5-7

D-72336 Balingen-Engstlatt

Germany

Tel +49 (0)7433 26005-0

Fax +49 (0)7433 26005-29

[email protected]

www.formenbau-mueller.de

Contact Karl-Heinz Müller, Managing DirectorHarry Fünfer, Manager

Karl Heinz Müller Formenbau

The company based in Swabia in Southwest Germany

was founded in 1984 and today has 45 employees on its

payroll. Karl-Heinz Müller KG sees its core competence

in technical mould making for the automotive, household

appliance and medical branches.



Using ED die sinking in an innovativemanner in technical mould making

A partner for the highestdemands In 1984, the young entrepreneur,Karl-Heinz Müller, founded thecompany bearing his name formaking moulds for injectionmoulded parts. His goal: To bring the knowledge he hadacquired and expanded into hiscompany with humanity and thehighest conscientiousness. Thathe has succeeded in doing this isshown by the record of successsince the company came intoexistence. With high quality stan-dards, 45 highly motivated em-ployees, a modern machine outfitand the constant will to best per-formances, Karl-Heinz Müller KGhas created a circle of customers

for itself who acknowledge thistoday with demanding orders. Aplug from the automotive branchcomposed of two parts showsthe company’s extensive know-how and performance spectrum,and how it employs EDM as aninnovative machining process intechnical mould making.

3D-presentation of the mould core

which is led through a mould wedge

when closing the injection moulding

tool. The colours mark the individual,

ED machined elements.

On the finished automobile plug, the

inlet slit is to be seen into which the

plug’s second, red component is

inserted. A snap then holds the cable

securely in the plug casing.

The plug is designed to suit the tool

at the CAD workplace and the opti-

mum functionality is checked.

ED wire-cut mould cores create the

cable channels on the finished part

during injection moulding.

One of the mould inserts for the

quadruple injection moulding tool.



Karl-Heinz Müller KG

The challenge lay in the detailsWhen Karl-Heinz Müller KG wonthe order to manufacture a toolfor the production of automobileplugs, the requirements were sethigh:- A complex mould with manyopenings, undercuts, fine websand filigree details, which ap-peared difficult to remove fromthe mould.- A surface quality of VDI 24 anda positioning accuracy of ± 10µm of all moulds to one another.Already at the time of the design,the injection moulding tool wasarranged as a quadruple mould,and the details for a productionto suit the tool were optimisedtogether with the customers.Then the various machining pro-cedures were determined in ac-cordance with time and precisioncriteria. On account of their highrepeating accuracy and autono-my, ED die sinking and wire cut-ting were planned for the ma-chining of the mould and activeparts giving precision. Thepreparation of the job when EDdie sinking involved:- Milling and ED wire cutting thecopper electrodes, the shaping ofwhich was generated from theCAD programs.- Clamping and plotting the elec-trodes.- Palletised clamping of theworkpieces and then plotting atthe presetting position.- Transfer of the measurementdata to the Agietron Innovation.- Loading the 28-places elec-trode changer and setting up theworkpiece pallets on Agietron In-novation.Those in brief were the workingsteps that were carried out be-fore ED die sinking. Here too,Karl-Heinz Müller KG attachedthe greatest importance to acontinuous check of precision.

In the case of large-area and

large-volume moulds, hard

milling is used.

Operators on one of the

Agietron Innovation 2 and

on an Agiecut Challenge 2

optimise their programs.

A composite mould is ED

die sunk.

One of the four moulds of the

quadruple injection moulding

tool, which opens and shuts

on all four sides via slides.

In this connection. the long

mould cores for the cable

channels are led through the

wedge-shaped web in the

middle.

All active parts had to fit 100 percentYears of experience enabled theoperators of the two AgietronInnovation to optimise the EDMprogram in accordance with themachining assignment and toadjust the setting parameters.The Agievision control offers nu-merous possibilities of individualinterventions for this which canthen be checked by Graficheck.The mould inserts were adjustedto measure and ED re-machinedif necessary. 100 percent mouldand fitting accuracy of all activeparts was the challenge so thatall the elements would interactexactly during the injectionmoulding tool’s closing andopening processes. ED wire cutmould cores, which were ledthrough a separating wedge,mould inserts with complex cavi-ties which move to the side andthe nozzle side that opens at thefront. And everything quadruple.Technical mould making whichwas implemented in an innovativemanner by Karl-Heinz Müller KGand has been confirmed by satis-fied customers.


The tool data

Name Quadruple injection moulding tool with 16 slides, runner-less hot channel construction

Finished part name Plug for automobiles

Finished part material Non-reinforced PBT

Surface quality finished part VDI 24

Tool material Hardened, high-alloy tool steels

Tool weight 600 kg

Tool working life c. 20 million parts

Electrode material Copper

Electrode production ED wire cutting and milling

EDM time 500 hours ED wire cutting and 350 hours

ED die sinking are equal to 35% of the total production time


Surface roughness VDI 22 ED die sinking, VDI 18 ED wire cutting

We would like to thank Karl-Heinz Müller KG, in particulartheir Managing Director Karl-Heinz Müller and the ManagerHarry Fünfer, for their kind sup-port and helpful co-operationon this report.

Responsible

Sales Engineer:

Holger Hertsch,

Agie GmbH

“

”

We use ED die sinking and wire cutting as equivalent machin-

ing procedures in technical mould making. Thus we can fully

exploit the Agie EDM systems’ high repeating accuracy and

precision, and, thanks to these units’ great autonomy, sched-

ule many jobs for the night and weekend shifts.

Karl-Heinz Müller,

Managing Director

of the company of the same name




Country Switzerland

Production Micromechanics, punching tools, EDM and micro EDM and punched products for:- the watch industry- microelectronics- medicine- special applications

Target market Switzerland

Employees 4

Founded 1974

EDM systems 1 Agiecut Vertex1 Agiecut 150 HSS1 Agiecut 100D+F 1 Agietron Compact 1 Micro

Programming Mecanic

Clamping systems System 3R

Measuring, testing Profile projector

Etampes Kaufmann SA

Postfach 43

Route de Châtel-St-Denis

CH-1802 Corseaux/Vevey

Switzerland

Tel +41 (0)21 921 70 90

Fax +41 (0)21 921 46 96

[email protected]

www.etampes-kaufmann.ch

Contact Pierre Kaufmann, OwnerYves Kaufmann, Technical Director

Etampes Kaufmann SA

The family-owned

company Etampes

Kaufmann SA can

look back over 30

years of company

history which is

closely linked with

the Swiss watch

industry. So micro-

mechanics, micro-

EDM, punching

tools and punched

products in the high

precision sector

have become the

company’s real

speciality.


A family-owned company with a passion for high precision Not far from Lake Geneva lies thewine-growing village Corseauxwhere Etampes Kaufmann SA isbased. Founded by the seniorchief Pierre Kaufmann in 1974,the family-owned company hasspecialised in two sectors:- High-precision punching tools- Micro-punched products- Special products.Etampes Kaufmann SA suppliesworld-renowned manufacturers inthe watch industry, microelectron-ics and medicine. The success ofthe Canton Vaud-based businesslies in the high precision withwhich it manufactures punchingtools and the punched parts pro-duced. With decades of experi-ence, Etampes Kaufmann SA hasperfected its tool-making everyfurther, investing in an EDM wire-cutting system of the highest pre-cision, and can thus follow theminiaturisation trends effortlessly.Just how skilfully EtampesKaufmann SA moves in the mi-crotechnology sector is shown bythe example of a punching toolfor the production of printed-circuit boards made of metal-coated Kapton.

The lower half of the

progressive punching

tool with the blanking

die.

Prepunched strip made

of Kapton which is then

metallically coated and

punched once again.

The contours for the

EDM wire-cutting pro-

gram are generated

with Mecanic.


EDM wire cutting at the peak of precision


The Agiecut Vertex is set up

for the next EDM job.

The erosion is simply per-

formed on the Agiecut Vertex

The contour accuracy is

checked both on punched

parts and on the active parts

of tools.

The thinner the punchingmaterial, the smaller the die clearanceWell-known for its high precisionin punch tool-making, EtampesKaufmann SA received the orderfor the manufacture of one ofthese tools for punching thethinnest films made of Kapton.After receiving the printed circuitboard drawing from the cus-tomer. the further procedure wasas follows:- Generation of the cutting con-tours for dies and punches withMecanic. - Making the starting holedrilling in the 10 mm thickblanking die with the EDM die-sinking machine Agietron Com-pact 1 Micro, a variant speciallyfor micromachining jobs.- Transfer of the geometry pro-grams to the EDM wire-cuttingsystem Agiecut Vertex.- Purposeful data input with afew details on the workpiece,wire and precision.- Allocation of the contour pro-grams to the EDM programs.- Automatic generation of thebest EDM wire-cutting technolo-gy in accordance with time andprecision criteria.- Horizontal and vertical plottingof the workpiece with wire andthe integrated touch probe. WithAgiesetup 3D, automatic conver-sion of the measurement data,correct for the location, into theEDM program.- Check of all inputs for com-pleteness with Formalcheck.- For safety’s sake, further checkof the EDM sequences with Gra-ficheck.- Loading the Agieduo wire unitwith a spool of wire type CCA 0.1 mm and with a spool of wiretype SP-Wire 0.05 mm. AgiecutVertex has a wire guide for alldiameters.

The ED wire-cutting system wasthus ready to start with the fullyautomatic machining of the diesin unsupervised operation.


Etampes Kaufmann SA


Name Progressive punching tool

Finished part name Printed circuit boards

Finished part material Metal-coated Kapton

Tool material Steel, hard metal in the case of active parts

Tool weight 30 kg

Tool working life 10 - 15 million

Number of EDM cuts 1 full cut, 7 trim cuts

Punch cutting height 10 mm cylindrical

Die cutting height 10 mm, 1 mm of this cylindrical and 9 mm tapered 0.1°

EDM wire Full cut: CCA 0.10 mm, Trim cuts: SP Wire 0.05 mm

Surface quality Ra 0.08 µm


The tool data

We would like to thank Etam-pes Kaufmann SA, in particu-lar the company’s ownerPierre Kaufmann, for theirkind support and helpful co-operation on this report.

Responsible

Sales Engineer:

Olivier Beutler,

Agiesales Ltd.

“

”

With the Agiecut

Vertex, we have

now got the EDM

wire-cutting ma-

chine that meets

our application re-

quirements exactly:

Highly precise,

compact in its di-

mensions and very

reliable. The dou-

ble spools are also

ingenious so that

we can carry out

the full cut with

standard wires and

trim cuts with the

finest wires, unsu-

pervised.

Yves Kaufmann,

Technical Director

of Etampes Kaufmann SAThe cutting wire is half as thin as a hairFirstly, all the full cuts were nowexecuted with the CCA 0.10 mmwire, whereby a tiny web was leftin place in each case to connectthe drop-out parts. With morethan 70 openings, reliable wirethreading was indispensable.Then 7 trim cuts were carried outusing the finest 0.05 mm SP-Wire,whereby the webs were also cutthrough with the last cut. Many


openings were also carried outusing the pocketing process, asthe drop-out parts would havebeen too small. With surfaces ofRa 0.08 µm and a positioning ac-curacy of ± 2 µm of all openingsto one another, the EDM resultseven exceeded the given preci-sion requirements.


Experience: Issue 25 (PDF | 2.1 MB)

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