ETG Takes High-Speed EDM Drilling To New Level of Productivity
20 May 2021
Recently announced as the new UK technical partner for Winbro Group Technologies, the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) is delighted to introduce the new Winbro HSD-351 High-Speed EDM Drilling System.
Winbro is a world leader in technologically advanced machining solutions with an unsurpassed pedigree in the Aerospace, industrial gas turbine (IGT) and semiconductor sectors. The introduction of the Winbro HSD-351 high-speed EDM drilling system via the ETG sales and distribution network will now see this remarkable technology become widely available to manufacturers in all industry sectors.
The Winbro HSD-351 is a highly compact, high-speed single point EDM drilling solution with a solid-state air-cooled EDM generator, that has already proven it's pedigree in the Aerospace and IGT sectors. Now, it is set to make its mark in the wider industry. The compact Winbro HSD-351 offers a spacious work axis envelope of 300 by 350 by 550mm in the X, Y and Z axes with a rotary C-axis of +/-360° and an A-axis of +10°/-135° that allows the end-user to process five faces of the workpiece in a single set-up. Accuracy is assured with a linear accuracy and repeatability of 0.008mm and 0.006mm respectively with a rotary axes accuracy and repeatability of 20 and 15 arc/sec.
From a technology standpoint, the Winbro HSD-351 sets new standards with fast automatic electrode changes that spit, load and qualify the electrode in less than 15 seconds from the electrode cartridge system. The automated tool changer utilises twin 14-station carousels and an automatic barrel changer (ABC) with barrels that each hold 15, 25 or 49 electrodes up to 700mm long. The automatic tool change also incorporates an automatic nose guide changer (AGC) and it typically accommodates up to 13 nose guides plus a probe. The 6-point probing system ensures accurate, automated machine calibration via an MP250 Renishaw probe that is carried on the AGC carousel.
In the work envelope, component clamping is facilitated by an Erowa pneumatic flat chuck that is supplied as standard. The chuck can accommodate parts up to 10kg with single or multiple component clamping possible with part flushing and chip reading available for automated production. Designed as an automation-ready machine, the Winbro HSD-351 can be loaded from the front or the top and can also work in tandem with either an Industrial or Collaborative (Cobot + AGV) robot solution.
The next generation Winbro HSD-351 can facilitate OPC-UA or MT Connect interface options that permit key performance variables to be monitored in real-time whilst the DAX data acquisition system records the details of each machined feature. Whilst this exciting technology makes the machine digital-ready as an Industry 4.0 solution, Winbro has created an intuitive user interface that demonstrates simplified programming via the TCPro and TCPost interface that makes the part model visible to the operator during production. This user-friendly system also presents a graphical feature selection for reworking operations.
Taking productivity, performance and capability beyond the realms of rival machines, the Winbro HSD-351 presents electrode check and verification on the machine quill position that minimises ‘true position’ deviation. The machine also presents integrated electrode flow meter options, advanced shaped hole capability with the generation of 2D and 3D diffuser holes, signature analysis and breakthrough detection and auto-recovery and re-cut. With technologically advanced features and automation capability, the Winbro HSD-351 demonstrates the next generation in high-speed EDM drilling.
