2001_2

Inside This Issue:

Stolle Case Study..............................2

Roboform 35QCRiEnhances StollesEfficiency.

New Machines ............4

Introducing the Form20ZNC, the Robofil240/440 and CTMillennium Control.

Charmilles Joins Forceswith Penske...................7

WIN 4 TICKETS TO THEDAYTONA 500.

Charmilles ExpandsCustomer Service..........8

Bucks industry trend ofcutbacks.

Upcoming Events .........8

EDM 01, Extrusion ToolSeminar.

Robofil 2030SI-TW ....10

EDM twin wire technology.

Baldor Case Study.....14

St. Louis company relies onCharmilles expertise.

Building a SkilledWorkforce....................18

Charmilles has the toolsto help.

www.charmillesus.com

Fall 2001

Extrusion Tool Seminar, September 11 & 12 North Carolina, October 9 & 10 Chicago


Fall 2001

Charmilles equipment and perform-ance has contributed to the successof the company. Manfred foundedStolle Technology, Inc. in 1991 afterhaving been in the plastics andmold-making field for the past 25years. Manfred, originally fromGermany, served a four-year apprenticeship then moved toCanada in 1981 to work with several mold-making companies.

He then was presented an opportu-nity to move to the U.S. and apply hisskill set in the Carolinas. After 11years in Canada, I did not care forthe snow anymore, Manfred says.After working in the U.S. for 5 years,Manfred decided to take the oppor-tunity of free enterprise and start hisown business. I wanted to deliver aquality tool with integrity. Manfredsays, defining his companys mission.I also wanted to create a stateoftheart facility where employees canbuild a tool with the mostup to date equipment

Charmilles hasbeen an integralpart of our successand its evidentthrough the rosterof equipment weown, Stolle con-tinues. Stolle owns

six Charmilles machines: twoRoboform 35s, a Roboform 35QCRi,two Robofil 290s, and an HD8 holepopper.

Stolle says that Charmilles has beena vital cog in his companys growth.Theyve been a very large part ofour success, Stolle said. Im not say-ing that other companies wouldntsupport us but my experience hasbeen absolutely terrific withCharmilles. Weve grown over thepast few years and I really expectthem to be part of our success in thefuture.

Stolle purchased the first Charmillesmachine in 1998, a Robofil 290 WireEDM. There were certain things thatI really liked about the 290, Stollesays. The machine has an ICPSystem (Integrated CollisionProtection) which protects themachine if the upper or lowermachine heads run into a workpiece.This reduces the risk of error on theoperator as well as the machine.

A submersible machine adds time tothe process of cutting parts, Stollesays. Buying the 290 wasa very good decisionbecause the 290 is not anaverage non-submersiblemachine. It has a uniqueenclosed design to keep the workingzone temperature stable. With its

high-performance adaptive genera-tor (PILOT-EXPERT), the wire wontbreak if the cut is interrupted or whenyou cut into a workpiece from theoutside.

As a non-submersible machine it cancut a lot of parts in a very short

2

Charmilles ROBOFORM 35QCRi Enhances Stolle Technologys Efficiency

Charmilles ROBOFORM 35QCRi Enhances Stolle Technologys Efficiency


PILOT-EXPERT

A balmier climate led Manfred Stolle to the Carolinas, broadening his career path as well as establishing a reputable organization in the plastics industry.

period of time. Tolerance-wise, thanksto the enclosed machine design, itsbeen an excellent machine, too. Thecontrols are very user-friendly. Andthe machine has been absolutely reli-able. We have not had any problemswith the machine in three years.

Stolle uses the Robofil 290 to cutcopper electrodes. Often in thisprocess, they use the smallest wirethat they can run 4/thousandths ofan inch in diameter.

Stolle is convinced that CharmillesRobofil 290 has helped his competi-

Robofil 290P

HD8

tiveness and was a wise investment.

Every serious mold maker today hasa wire EDM because a tool cannotbe built without one, he says. Wedesign our molds around the capa-bilities of our machines. For instance,in the past, mold pockets and baseswere milled. We use the wire EDMfor speed and accuracy. Its a perfectmatch. Using the 290 has helped ustremendously to hold accuracy in thetools that we build.

The next stage of growth for Stollewas adding diesinkers to his mix ofequipment. After extensive research,Manfred decided on a CharmillesRoboform 35. This selection wasbased on the performance and theservice he had received with the 290and the reputation of the Charmillesorganization.

We did test cuts and the Roboform35 was very easy to operate and thecutting speeds that we achieved onthat particular test burn were great,Stolle says now. Compared toanother machine that we looked at,the Roboform 35 cut it in one-third ofthe time.

Charmilles Southeast DistrictManager Fred Holzmacher says theRoboform 35 can cut so rapidlybecause it adjusts on the fly even inpoor flushing conditions. It actuallylooks at the good and

bad sparks and makes adjustmentson the generator settings during thecut to optimize the cutting conditionfor the specific application,Holzmacher says. When themachine encounters a poor flushingcondition or when the electrode hasdirt on it, it will actually be able tochange the type of spark or use theSPAC generator feature to adapt tothat without having to stop machiningor pulsate the electrode like othermachines will have to do.

Based on increased volume and lim-ited hours experienced throughmachine constraints and labor force,Manfred surged into automation as asolution to future growth.

That automation took the form of theRoboform 35QCRi, the diesinkingEDM that comes equipped with theQuick Change Robot. The singleCNC and remote control for themachine and the robot is easy to useand the QCRi can change both theelectrode and workpiece.

Holzmacher says, I knew he hadsome manual die-sinker machinesand I also knew he was working atremendous amount of hours. I knewthat the automation would be able tohelp him get more work out and workfewer hours. So I thought it was adefinite marriage there.

We became much more efficientafter the purchase of theRoboform 35QCRi, Stollesaid. Prior to the 35QCRiit took 8 to 10 hours tocomplete a job on themanual 35. The beauty ofthe QCR is it only takes 2hours to set up and themachine runs all night orweekend long unat-

tended.

Business is stable in this decliningmarket. Stolles customer base isdiversified into the electrical, medical,automotive, and furniture industries.The company officially moved intotheir newly remodeled 18,000square-foot facility in Winston Salemin May 2001 . The building used tobe a tire distribution center. (This isthe only mold making facility that hasa sprinkler system installed, Stollelaughs).

Stolle has found Charmilles to bevery supportive after the sale. In ourindustry, service is critical, Stollesays. Time is money, customers needtheir tooling ASAP. If a machine goesdown we do not have a week toallow for a repair or to bring itonline. This is most important when a company only has one machine.Charmilles service has been excep-tional and is a very critical link to oursuccess.

Due to Charmilles service and sup-port as well as superb machinery,Manfred says, I will automaticallylook to Charmilles when addinganother piece of equipment. Heplans on purchasing an additionalRoboform 35QCRi in the near future.I think its a great relationship wehave with Manfred, Holzmacherconcludes. Hes very successful, andCharmilles focuses on our customers success with support and innovative products like theRoboform 35QCRi.

3New Ideas In EDM


Roboform 35QCRi

Form 20ZNC

The major asset of Charmillesnew Form 20ZNC is the Pentium-based, touch screen HumanMachine Interface (HMI).

The newHMI usesiconsinstead oftext on a14 colortouchscreenmonitor.With the integrated Program Expert,the Form 20ZNC also is easy toprogram the burn, including orbit-ing if the optional ISOCUT E100orbiter is installed. The HMI canalso store up to 100 different pro-grams, making multiple cavityburns as easy as loading in thenext program and touching thestart cycle. Digital readout of theglass scale X, Y, and Z location isdisplayed in the upper right handcorner of the touch screen whereit can be set to zero or to a spe-cific value after measuring theworkpiece, or manually moving Xor Y to a certain location.

The Form 20ZNCs new designcan hold a workpiece weight of1,102 pounds and has manualtravels XY of 11 .8 x 7.87 and amotorized Z of 11 .8. The stan-dard V-block chuck can hold upto a 60 pound electrode, as well

as be substituted with a System3R, Erowa, or Hirschman chuck.Plus, with a high-speed Z pulse of1 .18 per second, and the new 32or 64 amps (optional) auto-stepgenerator, it steps the amperagein smaller amounts. This constantlyoptimizes the burn. The newlydesigned Form 20ZNC is not onlyfast, but also accurate in the burn,because of the glass scales andthe monitored gap size for each

power setting of the inte-grated technology. Overall,the new design will make theForm 20ZNC simpler to under-stand and easier to operate.

4

Whats New


" "

New Wire EDM with a

New Control

Eric Ostini, Product Manager

Recently, Charmilles Technologiesintroduced two new machines intothe United States. In March 2001,at the Charmilles Open House,the Robofil 240 and the Robofil440 were on display. Thesemachines have advanced EDMwith their new design and CT-Millennium control.

Form 20ZNC

HMI

PROGRAM-EXPERT

Robofil customers expect greataccuracy and the Robofil 240 and440 continue this tradition. Thenew machines have several of thesame standard features as the oldones. One such standard is glassscales. They maintainthe positioning, pitch,and circularity accuracyfor the life of themachine. They arefound on all axes(X,Y,Z,U,V) of the machine. In orderto verify the accuracy, Charmilleshas preformed tests on severalgroups of Robofil 240/440s andcan guarantee an accuracyrepeatability on a shop floor of.00012 for circularity, which is thetoughest test for machine accu-racy. Also, the tests showed apositioning accuracy of .00012from cavity to cavity.

Another feature is the mate-rial used for the base of themachine. The Robofil 240 and440 have a Rhenocast base,which ismade of

polymer com-posite. Thisgives theRobofil 240and 440 sev-eral distinct advantages overother machines that use cast ironmachine base materials. Some ofthese advantages includeincreased vibration dampening forshop floor durability; chemical,corrosion, and conductive resistantfor longer life; improved accuracyas a result of a much greater abil-ity to resist temperature changes.The Rhenocast machine base ofthe Robofil 440 can support work-pieces of weights up to 3,307pounds and maximum workpiecedimensions of X47.24 x Y27.55 xZ15.75. The Robofil 240 can han-dle workpieces of X39.37 xY21 .65 x Z8.66 with a maximumweight of1,654pounds.

Today, wiremachineshave manyfeatures.However,the qualityof thecrash protection is one featureevery operator hopes never to

5New Ideas In EDM


find out about. With the Robofil240 and 440, however, damageto the machine, workpiece, or thereference location is completelyavoided thanks to the integratedcollision protection (ICP) incorpo-rated in the machine. From rapidmoves to cut moves, the ICP givessecurity not only to the first timeoperator, but to experienced pro-fessionals as well.

The U and V travel is exactly thesame as the X and Y travels. Thismeans that a cut of + or a 30degree taper angle is possible upto a maximum workpiece heightwithout changing nozzles or los-ing quto-threading capabilities.Larger taper angles can beachieved with guide extension.This is a great feature for compa-nies that produce molds, extrusiondies, form tools, or any otherapplication that needs tapercapability.

In order to optimizespeed without wirebreakage, Charmillesinstalled an ISO PULSEgenerator with PilotExpert and ProfilExpert to automati-cally adjust flushingpressure, power,servo speed, andwire tension. Thismaintains geometry accuracy ofcorners and small details as well.

Robofil 240/440

AccuracyLinear Glass Scales

PILOT-EXPERT

PROFIL-EXPERT

CT-Millennium Control

Rhenocast base

ICP

continues on page 6

Also added in the new design ofthe Robofil 240 and 440 is a newautomatic wire threader calledThermoCut. ThermoCut canthread wires from .004 diametersto .012 diameters, whether the

wire isbrass orcoated.With 20secondsto cutthe wireand 10secondsto

thread, ThermoCut reducesthreading cycle times greatly overearlier Charmilles models.

Time is not the only advantagehowever. Its new design cutsmaintenance and mechanical fail-ure to zero because it has nomoving parts.

Another benefit of the Robofil 240and 440s new design is that theyare automation ready. Withoptional auxiliary M functions, theRobofil 20 and 440 can be inter-faced with pallet loading robots,such as System 3Rs WorkMasteror Workpal. The Robofil 240 and440 are submerged machines -so, for automation, a side slidingdoor can be installed on the sideof the work tank so that palletswith tall or heavy workpieces canbe placed on the worktable with-out interfering with the uppermachine head. In order to use the

robot, everything that is donemanually must be done automatically.

The removal of slugs after therough cut is a manual job.However, Charmilles solves thismanual procedure withthe optional Eject 100system. This system,which can be installedat anytime, removesslugs by first cutting thecavity so that the slug is held inplace by a small triangle of mate-rial. Then, while the lower arm isout of the way and the wire is cut,the slug is tapped with an air pis-ton hammer, knocking the slug outof the cavity and into the worktank. Once the slug has beenremoved from the cavity, the lowerand upper arms move back toprogram position, threading thewire either in the next cavity or inthe same cavity in order to finishwith skim cuts. With auxiliary Mfunctions, a sliding side door, andthe Eject 100 system, the Robofil240 and Robofil 440 are readynow or whenever full automationis needed.

The new design creates upgradedtechnology to the machines com-puter system. The Robofil 240 and440s new CT-Millennium controlcontains a Pentium III 333MHzwith a 10-gigabyte hard-drive,3.5 HDD floppy drive, one serialport, one parallel port, and a full101 PC keyboard. The control

also includes a 14 TFT touchscreen monitor, Ethernet standardwith a RJ45 connection, andWindows NT operator system.

The CT-Millennium control inter-face continues to use the easy tounderstand Charmilles concept ofPREP, EXE, INFO, and GRAPHmodes. These modes are specificto what an operator wants toachieve. For example, in PREP,which stands for preparation, youwill find an editor, a file manage-ment system, and CT-Expert aneasy to use technology and offsetcreator for a specific job. The EXEmode, which stands for execution,includes measuring cycles, userparameters, and the cycle start ofa specific job in program execu-tion. Also, new features have beenadded, such as a maintenancescreen that counts down andwarns an operator when it is timeto do maintenance. In addition,there is an on board documenta-tion with text instructions andactual pictures for error messages,step by step maintenance, wearitem identification, and G & Mcode definitions.

6

Whats New: ROBOFIL 240/440


EJECT-100

ThermoCut


PENSKE RACING & CHARMILLES A WINNING COMBINATION!

Rustys trophy + $50,000 for winning the pole position.

The Winston Race

Wally McCarty gave an informative and detailed tour of the two race shopsthat house the #2 Rusty Wallace, #02 Ryan Newman and #12 JeremyMayfield Winston Cup race cars.

Our group was able to see up close the different cars being built from the ground up.

Engine being testedon a dynamometer

Everyone learned a lot and had a great time! Rusty Wallace #2 car in the garage area. Can you find the Charmilles logo?

#2 car leaving final inspection. Dark evening skies caused a 2 hour rain delay.Dark evening skies caused a 2 hour rain delay.

It was time to push the limit and get onboard with Winston Cup racing! Soon after,Penske South received their Robofil 330Fwhich is now located in their brand newengine facility. On May 19, 2001 a group ofCT customers had the opportunity to visit the Penske facility and attend theWinston race on Saturday night at theLowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte NC.

At the Daytona 500 in February of 2000William Boehmert, Product Manager atCharmilles, met with Wally McCarty,Marketing Manager for Penske Racing South.Charmilles had a long history with Formula 1racing teams such as Benetton, McLaren andin CART with Penske England.

Robofil 330F

CHARMILLES A Penske Performance Partner

Penske Race Shop Tour

Go to www.charmillesus.com/racing.cfm to find out how you can win 4 tickets to the DAYTONA 500 race in 2002New Ideas In EDM 7

UpcomingEvents

24 hours a day, seven days aweek. The CD contains all 7000CT-US stocked parts for currentand older models.

8

As Others Cut Back,Charmilles ExpandsCustomer Service


EDM 01

Service engineers can obtaintheir schedules on a computer-ized scheduling board.

Customers can now identifyparts for their machine from afree-parts CD.

0

20

40

60

80

1999 1st Half 2000

1st Half 2001

2nd Half 2000

No

. Serv

ice P

ers

onnel

www.charmillesus.com/prod/parts.cfm,

Charmilles Technologies hasincreased its service departmentby 42% since 1999. With 68 tech-nical service employees,Charmilles shows a continuedcommitment to meeting the needsof its customers. This large servicedepartment allows Charmilles tooffer quick responses because amajority of customers are locatedwithin a one-hour drive of atrained Charmilles service engineer.

With an emphasis on technicalinnovations, Charmilles serviceengineers are equipped with lap-top computers. These laptops canremotely access the company net-work for troubleshooting machineproblems. The service engineerscan obtain their schedules on acomputerized scheduling boardand update customer call informa-tion in real time. During 60 hoursof a typical workweek, 94% ofCharmilles customer calls areanswered live, by a trained serv-ice engineer, with an averagequeue time of only 35 seconds.

More than 98% of parts ordersare shipped the same day fromCharmilles. The remaining one totwo percent is shipped fromGeneva, Switzerland, directly tothe customer. Customers can nowidentify parts for machines from afree-parts CD or online onCharmilles website

Modern Machine Shops EDM 01 Conference will focus on the latest technologies that keep jobsmoving at top speeds.

EXTRUSION TOOL SEMINAR

October 9 & 10Chicago

Charmilles Technologies is offering a die seminar to helpWire EDM owners realizetheir machines full potential.The seminar will provideinformation on extrusion dietechnologies and vacuumsizer designing.

Hyatt Regency,downtownIndianapolis

October 17th, 18th,& 19th

Charmilles is proud to present its new Robofil2030SI-TW to provide operators the flexibility andversatility they want without the need for manualintervention or change-over. Designed with a fullyautomated dual-wire system, the new Robofil2030SI-TW provides ample opportunity for unattended machining.

No longer dedicated to a single wire, it allows oper-ators to achieve time savings of up to 60%, has adramatic impact on productivity and simplifies themanufacturing process.

The worlds first wire EDM tool changer

Prompted by the need for applications involvingsmall parts across a variety of industrial sectors suchas connectors, electronics and micro-machining,Charmilles launched its Robofil 2030SI-TW designedto provide automated tool change during the samemachining operations. With two wires of differentdiameters available to them on the same machine,operators can switch from one to the other with oneeasy setup.

To cover the vast majority of workshop applications,24 twin-wire technologies have been added to the56 standard technologies already available.

Ideal for unattended machining

Fast pocketing and the availability of two differentwires enable the twin-wire machine to cut in auto-matic mode two cavities in the same time it wouldtake a single-wire machine to cut only one cavity.The time savings obtained with a twin-wire EDMmachine are considerable since it reduces cuttingspeed by up to 60%. (see illustration 1) But the

added advantage of unattended machining may beequally important for a large number of operators.

How long do they normally need to remove a slug?Three to four minutes, provided they are in front ofthe machine. However, they are seldom, if ever, infront of the machine. The time to remove a slug is infact much longer, especially with multi-aperturetools. With a single setupcycle and automatic setupswitch from one wire to theother, the new Robofil 2030SI-TW accommodates increasedloads and provides for unat-tended night time andweekend operation.

10


Two Wires One Machine. An EDM World Premiere!Until now, the choices available for machining operations that required twodifferent wires were limited. They performed both roughing and finishing withthe same 0.004 diameter wire thus slowing down the manufacturingprocess. Or they manually switched wires thus cutting productivity as a resultof a tedious change-over process. But now this is a thing of the past.

With a considerable reduction in the amount of timethe piece remains in the water, there is also less cor-rosion. What doesthis add up to forthe operator?Greater flexibility inorganizing outputschedules andhigher productivity.

13 cavity die

Ilustration 1Single wire mode = 8 h 42 minTwin wire mode = 3 h 30 min

Time savings of up to 60%

So what are the numbers behind Charmilles' claimsof reduced cutting speed and greater performance?Field-tested by a number of industrial customers (seebelow), the new twin-wire Robofil 2030SI-TW cutsmachining time in half. And since machining speed isproportional to the diameter of the wire, it is the timerequired for roughing that makes the difference.

When comparing single-wire operations with thetwin-wire method in punch machining operations, forexample, the time savings achieved with the Robofil

2030SI-TW are close to 60 %.

The automatic wirechanger allowsyou to rough the-piece with 0.010(0.25mm)wire,achieving adramatic drop incutting time. Infact, time savingsincrease withworkpiece height.

On a punch of1 .57 (40mm)height, the twin-wire Robofil2030SI-TW cutstwice as fast as a

single-wire machine (see illustration 2).

As one renowned manufacturer found out when test-ing the equipment during pocketing operations, thenew Robofil 2030SI-TW increased speed by 45%.As a result, pocketing and finishing the piece withtwin-wire technology turned out to be three timesfaster overall!

Manufacturing made simple

Without the need to change wire guides or to per-form dual pre-settings, operators no longer run therisk of losing precision by manually switching wires.

Instead, the Robofil 2030SI-TW chooses for eachcavity the optimum solution in terms of productivityand work schedule. And since operators now havea choice how to best optimize the performance oftheir machine, they enjoy the kind of flexibility theynever had before.

2 wire circuits - 1 guidance system

Two separate wire circuits are located side by sideon the front panel to bring the two wires down tothe upper head guiding zone. A guidance systemWITHOUT any moving parts is used for both wiresto ensure perfect machining accuracy.

11New Ideas In EDM


Illustration 2

Easy to program

Charmilles' CT-Expert features a complete CMD pro-gram for both wires. It automatically generates thetechnology file for the application as well as thecommand program with automatic selection of thecorrect wire and wire parameters. Operators find thattwin-wire programming is as easy as it is with thestandard Robofil 2030SI.

continues on page 12

Increased Productivity

One graphic illustration of a simplified manufactur-ing process is a comparison of single-wire andtwin-wire mode when machining trimming punchesfor the semi-conductor industry. Rather than grindingthe location notches and wire cutting the fine detailswith 0.1 mm wire, twin wire technology erodes thelocation B notches with 0.25mm wire and automati-cally switches over to 0.1mm for the A details in asingle setup.

A market leader doubles productivity

The world's second largest connectors supplier hasachieved time savings of 50% in punching opera-tions and of 30% in die machining. Above all, thismarket leader finds that it is much better equipped tooptimize machine workload by scheduling jobsovernight or on weekends.

What's more, it reports no problem on the part ofoperators to switch to a twin-wire machine since itoperates just like a single-wire unit. The new Robofil2030SI-TW requires no extra maintenance and main-tains operating expenditures at the same level as astandard single-wire machine, adds the company'sManaging Director.

12

Two Wires One Machine. An EDM World Premiere!


TW BENEFITS

Automatic wire change-over on one and the same machine for flawless roughing and finishing in half the time.

Just 1 second to change from one wire diameter to the other for a combined threading and change-over time of no morethan 45 seconds: much less than manual intervention or switching to another machine.

Precision remains unaffected by change-over whether operations involve roughing or finishing.

Maximum versatility allows operators to schedule unattended machining jobs as theysee fit (i.e. overnight, weekends).

A

B

Sequence

Roughing + 1 skim with 0.010 wire

Pocketing + 3 skims with 0.010 wire

Pocketing + 3 skims with 0.004 wire

Pocketing + 3 skims with 0.004 wire30% Time saving

comparing to 0.004 machining

Twin Wire Versatility

The Robofil 2030SI-TW optimizes the wire diameterand cutting method for each cavity and completesthe die in fully automatic mode. Rather than machin-ing all cavities with a 0.004 wire, manuallyswitching to a larger diameter, aligning the wire, tak-ing piece references and finishing the piece with a0.010 wire the Robofil 2030SI-TW does all of thisin fully automatic mode with time savings of 30%,explained William Boehmert, Charmilles ProductManager.

Multi-cavitydie with differentminimumradii andsurface finishrequire-ments.

Baldor Motors and Drives stocks over4,400 different models of AC and DCmotors and drives. Theyre basicallyan American institution, says DickWolf, Charmilles district manager.Every tool room has a Baldor motorin it.

Baldor sells its products worldwide inmore than 55 countries. Baldor prod-ucts are available from 40 salesoffices/warehouses in North Americaand 25 offices serving internationalmarkets. These products are pro-duced at 11 U.S. plants and one inBristol, England.

2000 was a banner year for the com-pany. Sales hit $621 .2 million, up sixpercent from 1999. Earnings were arecord $46.3 million, also up six per-cent. Earnings per share were $1 .34,up 13 percent over the 1999 figure.Finally, 2000 marked the ninth consecutive year Baldor set recordsfor operating and gross margins and earnings per share.

400 of Baldors over 2,000 employ-ees call St. Louis home. The GatewayCity plant manufactures progressivecarbide lamination dies. Baldor hasrelied on Charmilles expertise foryears to get the job done. Baldorpurchased a Roboform 40 sinker inthe early-90s and then bought aRobofil 4020SI wire machine a fewyears after that.

Charmilles has really performed wellfor us, says Greg Sutphin, Baldorstool room manager in St. Louis. Bothmachines have given us excellentservice. We have no problems withthem they run!

Baldor purchased the Roboform 40to build die-cast molds. It has done a

14

Baldor Relies on CharmillesExpertise in St. Louis

Baldor Relies on CharmillesExpertise in St. Louis


great job in that endeavor and themachine is also used now for puttingthrough holes and threads in carbide.

It does a wonderful job on moldparts, says Mike McDonald, Baldorstool room supervisor, I really like it.Its a lot more efficient and it madethe electrode manufacturing muchsimpler with the CNC than it waswith a non-CNC EDM.

A manual machine can burn in onlyone direction straight down,Charmilles Wolf says in explainingthe value of CNC. A CNC machinecan burn in three or four differentdirections. It streamlines and simpli-fies the electrode manufacturingprocess. And at the same time, itincreases the speed, increases thewear performance, and increasesfree time because it runs by itself anddoesnt need an operator. CNCmachines have answered an oceanof dilemmas within mold and dieshops today.

The Roboform 40 has evolved intothe Roboform 35P, 54P, and 55P. Allthree models offer speed enhance-ments when compared to currentmodels. The acceleration speed istwo times as fast, the axis speed isthree times faster, and the pulsationspeed has doubled, too. Because ofthe advancements in accelerationspeed, tool change time is 35 per-cent less than it used to be on theRoboform 35 or 55. There is also a27 percent timesaving for measuringcycles.

The Roboform 35P and 55P comeequipped with drop tanks. Thisenables the operator easy access to

the machining table from three direc-tions. The drop tank design alsoyields quicker fill-and-drain time. Timeis also saved because the drop tankcan be programmed to match theheight of the workpiece.

Baldors Sutphin and McDonaldreport that the Roboform 40 hasbeen super-reliable, too. There havebeen only two machine stoppages ineight years and on both occasions,Charmilles sent parts overnight toBaldor and they were up and run-ning the next day.

A few years after their success utiliz-ing the Roboform 40, Baldor plungedinto the Charmilles wire market withthe Robofil 4020SI. Baldor uses it formaking carbide die parts and segments for carbide lamination dies.Wire-burned guides for the lamina-tion dies are also made with theRobofil 4020SI. And all of these diesneed to be made to less than one-tenth tolerance.

The Robofil 4020SI has performedexcellently for us, McDonald says.Weve been making replacementparts for these dies with these toler-ances since day one, and we haventhad a problem.

15New Ideas In EDM


continues on page 16

The Robofil 4020SI runs virtually allthe time at Baldors St. Louis facility.Often, it runs unattended. Itshooked up to separate air compres-sor so when the plant air is shut offover the weekend, the Robofil4020SI continues to run. McDonaldraves about the precision and relia-bility of the machine.

Charmilles latest innovation to thisseries of machines is the twin wireoption available on the Robofil2030SI-TW. The Robofil 2030SI-TW is the first wire EDM tofeature a fully automated dual-wire system, making it possi-ble to perform a quick changeover without operatorintervention.

The productivity gains from this unattended ability are significant. Depending on the application, productivity canreduce machining times from 30 to 50 percent because thelarge diameter wire can be used for pocketing in the roughcut and the small wire is applied for small-radius finishing.During machining, the Robofil 2030SI-TW automaticallyswitches to another wire as needed. This changeover takesless than 45 seconds.

Charmilles is succeeding in a tough environment. Almost allof Baldors work is carbide and carbide stamping dies represent the toughest stamping diework thats out there, Wolf says. The laminations for themotors that Baldor stamps are made of thin material so youhave thin material, you have very small punch-to-die clear-ances, and the carbide is the hardest stuff in the world tocut. The surface finish requirements are through the roof.They have to be very fine surface finishes. Its a very difficultset of parameters.

With both machines, Baldor took advantage of Charmillesextensive training and sent a team of four employees up toCharmilles North American headquarters in Lincolnshire, IL,to get better acclimated to the machines. Sutphin termed thetraining excellent.

Baldor appreciates Charmilles service, too. Its outstand-ing, Sutphin says. Not only service but support, too.Anytime we have a question, anytime that we have a newmaterial that were cutting or a new wire were using, theyllhelp us out.

Baldor Relies on Charmilles Expertise in St. Louis

16


You Can See Your Ad in New Ideas In EDMCall Steph Meyers at DGS Group 317-479-3155

extension 121

And more Charmilles machines maybe ticketed for St. Louis, soon. Baldorplans to significantly expand its toolroom in the next year. With theexpansion of the tool room, Baldorexpects to build 100 percent of itsprogressive dies and possibly beginto build its own diecast molds aswell, saving 10 to 15 percent overwhat it costs to have an outside vendor build them.

Its probably been four or five yearssince weve built a mold, Sutphinsays. We still have the personnel todo it, the know how. Hopefully, withthe expansion of the tool room wellbe able to take some more of thatwork.

18

Charmilles Tools to

Help You Build a

Skilled Workforce

By Harry MoserREPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MODERN MACHINESHOP, COPYRIGHT 2001 GARDNER PUBLICATIONS,INC., CINCINNATI OHIO USA

Last April, in a column I wrote for this

page, I proposed actions that shop

owners, skilled machinists and govern-

ment leaders could take to help assure

a strong U.S. manufacturing workforce.

But preaching is one thing, practicing

is another. This month, Im providing a

list of support materials and services

that Charmilles Technologies has

developed to strengthen the U.S. man-

ufacturing workforce. The point is not

only to show how one company can

make a difference, but also to encour-

age readers to respond by choosing

from the list below which items will aid

in their own efforts to bolster our

workforce.

Promotional Materials:

1. Career Opportunities Chart:

We have distributed 50,000 copies of

the "Career Opportunities Chart,"

which shows that the income of preci-

sion machinists is equal to that for

workers with four or more years of col-

lege. Many machining instructors say

that the chart is their single best

recruiting tool.

2. A Career in Toolmaking:

This 48 page PowerPoint presentation,

"A Career in Toolmaking: The Right

Choice for Students, Community and

Country," provides, in paper or CD

form, sourced arguments showing the

importance of the metalworking indus-

try and its income and entrepreneurial

opportunities. For example, one table

compares the lifetime cash flow for an

apprentice to that of an English major.

If the machinist invests at 7% per year

half of the difference in their annual

incomes, he will have $1 million more net

worth than the English major by the age

of 49.

Charmilles also provides the "Career in

Toolmaking" presentations live to appro-

priate audiences throughout the United

States and Canada. The presentations

last up to an hour and are most effective

with regional groups of guidance coun-

selors, educators, politicians, instructors

or parents. Call us for a schedule of

upcoming presentations in Indiana, Ohio,

Pennsylvania and Washington.

3. NTMA Annual Apprentice Contest:

For ten years, Charmilles has provided

the Grand Prize for the shop whose

apprentice wins the annual National

Tooling & Machining Association

(NTMA) Apprentice Contest. This prize is

an EDM machine, worth as much as

$100,000.

This years contest, the 29th annual com-

petition, was held at Lake Michigan

College in Niles, Michigan from May 8

May11 .

The winner this year was Daniel

Jorgensen. Daniel is a moldmaker at

Omega Tool, Inc. in Menomonee Falls,

Wisconsin. He represented the

Milwaukee chapter.

Live Promotional Presentations:

Charmilles provides the "Career in

Toolmaking" presentations live to appro-

priate audiences throughout the U.S. and

Canada. The current schedule has

included:

1. April 6 at the NACFAM Annual

Conference in Washington, DC

2. April 25 at the Indiana Machine Tool

Show, for 200 local students, organ-

ized by AMTDA

3. May 21 and May 24, a series of pre-

sentations to the educational

communities of Cincinnati and Dayton,


Ohio, organized by the Cincinnati

and Dayton NTMA Chapters

Future Events Include

1. October 4 at the Mid-Atlantic

Machine Tool Show in Ft.

Washington, Pennsylvania, organ-

ized by AMTDA

2. February 8, 2002 at Lower

Columbia College, Longview,

Washington (tentative)

The presentations last up to an hour

and are most effective with regional

groups of guidance counselors, educa-

tors, politicians, instructors or parents.

EDM Machines and Training

Materials:

1. EDM Machines

Charmilles provides schools and train-

ing centers with wire, CNC and

manual EDMs at the lowest possible

prices. One hundred and nine schools

in the U.S. and Canada have 160

Charmilles EDMs, mostly recent mod-

els. The Charmilles wire and CNC

EDMs are especially well suited for

schools because all models have colli-

sion protection, a great confidence

builder for the trainees. Also, because

Charmilles has the largest US annual

sales of EDMs, the students training

fits the greatest number of job

openings.

2. Directory of EDM Courses

This directory of schools and colleges

teaching EDM, die making, mold mak-

ing, etc. helps schools to exchange

curricula.

3. When to EDM Course

In addition to learning "How to EDM"

it is important that trainees learn

"When to EDM." This course compares

the EDM to conventional machining

processes and identifies the workpiece

geometries and materials for which

EDM is the optimal process.

19New Ideas In EDM

Standards & Credentialling:

Charmilles has supported NIMS

(National Institute for Metalworking

Skills) credentialling standards by:

1. Helping develop the EDM stan-

dards.

2. Performing all of the EDM test verifi-

cations during Charmilles operator

classes.

3. Serving on the NIMS Board.

For information on NIMS certifying

your training program call

(703) 352-4971 .

Legislative Efforts:

Charmilles supports HR877, the Skilled

Workforce Enhancement Act, which

provides a maximum $60,000 tax-

credit to a shop for each four-year

apprenticeship. Charmilles post cards

allow a citizen to express his support

of the Act to his local congressman.

HR877 currently is co-sponsored by 35

U.S. Representatives. The next effort to

advance this legislation in Congress

will be this summer when I will be

addressing the House Small Business

Committee.

The single most effective way to assure

a sufficient quality and quantity of

skilled manufacturing professionals is

to pass the Act. Rational self-interest

will motivate thousands of shops

across the country to start or expand

apprentice programs. As the number

of apprentices goes up, other shops

fear of losing, and not being able to

replace, new journeymen will come

down, causing many of these shops

also to have apprentices. I believe this

act is entirely justified because the

benefits will flow not just to the

employer of the apprentice, but to the

entire U.S. manufacturing industry and

economy. Unlike tax credits for

research and capitol investments, the

benefits of having a larger, better-

trained workforce will flow, like a transfu-

sion, throughout our manufacturing

industry.

How to Obtain Help:

All Charmilles items and support, except

the EDM machines, are free. Just call

Charmilles at 1 800 CTC 1EDM.

(1 800 282 1336), Ext. 170 or e-mail


[email protected].

The future success of our companies, of

manufacturing in the U.S. and, finally, of

the U.S. economy depends upon con-

vincing Americas youth to pursue a

career in manufacturing and upon pro-

viding them the necessary training.

Lets do it together!

GEORG FISCHER Manufacturing TechnologyGF

560 Bond St.Lincolnshire, IL 60069


Tel: (888) CTC 1EDM

AGIE CHARMILLES Group

2001_2

Documents