CNC Software Cuts Programming Time for EDM Ron Witherspoon, Inc. (RWI), Campbell, California, specializes in the fabrication of high precision parts, primarily using milling, turning, and electrical discharge machining (EDM) operations. The company produces many parts with very complicated geometries using the latest machine tool technology such as mill-turn machines and wire EDM with wire as fine as 0.0008 inch diameter. One of RWI’s key competitive advantages is the company’s use of advanced CNC programming software to program its machines. The software provides the ability to automatically recognize many features in solid models, thus saving a considerable amount of time that would otherwise have to be spent manually organizing the solid model. Another key advantage is the knowledge-based machining capabilities of the software, which RWI has used to create a library of highly complex machining operations.
“ESPRIT is one of the reasons that, despite the fact that we specialize in hard-to-program parts, our programming time is so effectively applied,” said Brian Pagano, Research and Development EDM Department Manager.
RWI was founded in 1977 and has experience manufacturing high precision parts from a wide variety of materials, ranging from aluminum and stainless steel alloys to more exotic metals such as OFE copper, Glidcop, copper tungsten, molybdenum, Inconel, Hasteloy X, Nimonic 90, titanium, tantalum, niobium, tungsten (90, 95, and 99.9% pure), and barium titinate ...
The company first began using ESPRIT CNC programming software over a decade ago and has continued to use it as the software has evolved through the addition of new features.
Shown here, production takes place on the RWI shop floor.
Ability to Program Complex Geometry Lets Prototype Maker Double Revenues Advanced CNC programming software that can handle complex shapes has allowed prototype manufacturer, Morris Technologies Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio), to double its revenues. The software enables the company to take on jobs that would be too time-consuming to program by hand. “Programming complicated parts by hand does not work for customers who need to prove out a design,” explains Doug Burns, a prototyping machinist at Morris Technologies. “They need fast turnaround. With ESPRIT (from DP Technology), we can write programs for 4-axis wire electrical discharge machining in 10 to 15 minutes. Most programs for the 4-axis lathes take about an hour. This is many times faster than we could do by hand.” ESPRIT supports the company’s use of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), a revolutionary technology that produces prototypes in a fraction of the time of conventional processes. ESPRIT is used to quickly write programs for DMLS parts that need subsequent machining ...
The process of creating a DMLS part that requires subsequent machining begins with the receipt of customer’s solid model in STEP or IGES format. Working from the customer’s data is beneficial to both parties, as Burns explains. “Because ESPRIT allows us to work directly from the solid models, our customers do not have to spend time creating prints, which in turn allows us to get their parts manufactured faster. This allows us to provide value to our customers by reducing the amount of work they have to do.”
Burns imports this into ESPRIT where he quickly applies preliminary toolpaths to the geometry to get an idea of how long the job will take ...
Shown above are impellers machined by Morris Technologies.