Hunting down the last thousandth
„We build high-performance injection molds with service lives which are superior to those offered by our competitors from low-cost countries many times over.
Analyses
„The hundredth part of a millimeter is to automatic production in mold-making what the sound barrier is to aviation. Many people have hit their heads against it,“ says Marco Veldhuis, and he knows from experience. The precision and universality of the palletizing system is one of the most important prerequisites, without which automatic production is inconceivable in the fi rst place.
Preparations
One critical successful factor in production processes that involve more than one technology is the data transfer and the corresponding processing of setup data. Electrodes are measured on a presetting station. The desired 5 micron must be realized on the EDM center without any human intervention. The best results were achieved on the Makino cell. An EROWA Robot for workpiece and electrode handling, as well as the electronic pallet identification system, were already available as standard. Thus Fostag opted for the EDNC 43.
Multiple molds with 16-96 cavities, which are among Fostag‘s specialties, require between 100 and 800 electrodes. Here, too, automation is required, with the highest possible precision for workpiece positioning. In this case, too, it was an important factor that tried-and tested and standardized packages with EROWA palletizing systems and handling robots were available. The Picomax with the fully integrated Fehlmann MCM cell control system satisfied another important requirement: process control through one central computer.
Production under control
Production processes at Fostag are getting closer to the objectives. All the electrodes are produced on the Fehlmann Picomax P90. The integrated EROWA PX Type Robot guarantees an autonomy of at least 48 hours. The offset values are made available to the control unit of the MAKINO EDNC 43 through the network. A further EROWA Robot ensures that the EDM center is continuously supplied with workpieces and electrodes.
