Electrode verification and management system for automation of EDM process in mould industry

In order to remain highly competitive, mould makers are compelled to shorten lead-time to produce mistake free complex mould for high value quick-turnaround products. One of the critical processes in mould making is the electro-discharge machining (EDM) process, which uses a large variety of precisely machined electrodes for making thin walls and sharp pockets. Potential sources of errors, particularly from manual processes such as setup and presetting of electrodes, programme preparation, electrode sequence validation and management of a large amount of electrodes with relevant offset data, make it extremely difficult to meet the delivery lead-time. This paper describes an innovative low cost, easily adaptable shop-floor solution to eliminate manual intervention and potential errors. It can be easily integrated with existing brands and models of EDM machines and tool pre-setters. It eliminates all manual entry of critical data, provides a method to combine programme and to merge offset values for the available electrodes, and validates both the electrode sequence and the precedence relationships between the finishing and roughing tools. The system architecture, criteria for sensor selection, placement and data synchronization, together with sequence verification are also described. With the help of such a system, it is possible for operators to manage several EDM machines concurrently together with an avalanche of orders, electrodes and offset values without any stress.