Delcam supports all EDM with integrated electrode

 Delcam Electrode can now provide scripts for all the leading manufacturers, including AgieCharmilles (Agievision and CT Millennium controls), Makino EDM, Mitsubishi Electric, ONA EDM, OPS-Ingersoll, Sodick and Zimmer & Kreim.  Full details are available on the website – www.delcam-electrode.com.

Scripts are the EDM equivalent of CAM programs for machine tools.  They provide an automated process for the programming of the machine, instead of users having to program manually from a set-up sheet.  The automated process is much easier and quicker, especially when a number of electrodes are being used on the same component.  In addition, the direct link removes the human error that could always be possible with manual programming.

Delcam Electrode is a completely integrated solution for the design, machining and inspection of electrodes that has been made possible through a combination of developments in Delcam’s PowerSHAPE CAD software, PowerMILL CAM system and PowerINSPECT inspection software.  At the heart of the solution is a new file format – the .Trode file.  This contains all the information for each electrode project, including not only the electrode design but also the machining and inspection information, plus the set-up sheets for its manufacture and use.  Having all the required information in a single file simplifies data management as well as increasing overall efficiency.

All the information in the .Trode file can be included in the script, including the electrode and work piece geometry and materials; the burn locations, areas and depths; and the various under-sizes for the rougher, semi-finisher and finisher electrodes.  The exact output is tailored to the particular equipment, for example, some machines don’t accept the geometry, while others run a viewer program which can display the electrode and work piece geometry, and simulate the sinking process.

The initial design stage of the process with Delcam Electrode is both quick and easy thanks to the wide range of direct modelling tools available within PowerSHAPE.  Users simply define the region where the electrode will be used, extract the shape needed to produce the required feature in the part, and then edit the design to provide clearance from the main surface of the tool and to blend it into the blank size needed to fix the electrode into its holder. 

Analysis tools are availPredator Accelerator TF