EDM Peeps,
Time for some technical details on Makino's HEAT Extreme 0.016" wire technology from the source...it’s designed for SPEED with reasonable accuracy and wire consumption. Makino is promoting the 0.016” technology as being x2 to x3 faster than 0.010” wire, and this is a conservative figure, as the end benefits are dictated by the part application. In general, the taller the part is, the greater the benefits of the 0.016” wire, but the more significant performance gains come with parts that are 2.0” and higher in thickness. There is still a speed improvement with parts under 2” thick using 0.016” wire, but the performance gains are less significant with parts under 2” thick due to the limits imposed by the physics of spark density (you can only apply so much power to a given area).
From an accuracy standpoint using standard 0.016” settings, we have seen 0.001” straightness per-side with 1-Pass Machining, and this baseline was established machining a D2 Tool Steel Stamping Punch. See the attached image showing the cycle time differences and wire consumption between 0.010” and 0.016” wire on this punch, and this represents a practical “real-world” part this has some geometry to it (we’re not talking about straight line machining). Makino has developed the 0.016” wire technology to consume a similar hourly poundage of wire as when running 0.010” wire, as our thinking was to develop the 0.016” wire settings with a practical approach. The 0.016” HEAT Extreme technology can actually cut faster than the standard settings that have been developed, and we chose to create these with a productive and practical mix of speed and reasonable accuracy…with low wire consumption.
The Per Hour wire consumption rate of the 0.016” wire settings is about 0.75 lbs., so a 22 lbs. spool of 0.016” wire will last 30 hours. This fact alone is amazing, as the wire consumption speed is significantly slower than what is seen with 0.010” operation, but yet still comes will a huge boost in speed. Think about it, the Cross-Section Area of the 0.016” wire is 2.5x times greater than that of 0.010” wire, so the amount of additional material and weight in the wire should significantly increase the wire consumption rate, which directly impacts manufacturing cost. The practical approach to 0.016” wire development that Makino has embraced delivers a significant increase to machining speeds (x2 to x3 times faster) with little to no change in the hourly wire consumption rate. This approach should help shops easily see and realize the savings potential this technology represents.
Makino has developed 2-Pass Machining settings for 0.016” wire for Brass and Coated wires for Steel and Aluminum materials, and these settings have been created for Good Flush and Bad Flushing conditions. The developed Skim Cut settings are a hot skim, and while it does improve the overall accuracy of the part to 0.0005” straightness land, there is less of a benefit to surface finish improvement. The primary goal of the 0.016” wire Skim Cut is to improve the looks and ascetics of the part, as this removes the heavy debris line that is seen in all Wire EDM Rough Cut passes. The 0.016” Skim Cut will produce a rougher surface finish than other Makino wire size technologies, but this is still a respectable 80~90uinRa finish out of the machine (1 Skim Cut settings – 2 Pass Total Machining - using 0.010” or 0.012” wire on Makino will produce a 60~70uinRa finish out of the machine). While it is technically feasible for the 0.016” wire to perform additional skim cuts (3 or 4 Pass Machining), Makino feels that this is unnecessary as this begins to negate the overall speed and costs savings benefits of this technology. A 2nd or 3rd Skim Pass (3 and 4 Pass Total Machining) requires lower generator power, and these power levels are the SAME for 0.016” as it would be for 0.010”, and the same fraction of the wire would be used for erosion. This means that 0.016” wire will Skim Cut at the same speed as 0.010” wire, but there will be greater cost and greater waste with the 0.016” wire (needlessly throwing away more wire). If greater precision or a finer surface finish is required, then using other available Precision-based technologies such as Makino’s 0.012” wire settings database might make more operational and economic sense.
As for the machine, the 0.016” wire capability is only available on the U6 HEAT Extreme model. This is a specialized machine that contains many modifications that enable 0.016” wire operation with the ability to thread this large wire size (the modifications are quite extensive, which is why this capability cannot be retrofit on an existing machine). The U6 HEAT Extreme model does represent a huge leap in performance with 0.016” wire capability, but it also provides game-changing versatility to a shop, as the machine can run wire sizes from 0.016” down to 0.004” and produce surface finishes down to 4uinRa if required. I have attached links below to a Makino Webinar on this technology and a link to a published article in EDM Today.
U6 H.E.A.T. Extreme Webcast | Makino
Summer 2019 EDM Today
- Brian
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