At SMARTPM we have automated the management of an EDM process for the aerospace manufacturing industry. We explain the pains and the solution implemented. We will see the impact that the use of the MIC automation system has on the reduction of defective, on the use of EDM equipment and on the lead time.
The project has been developed in collaboration with ONA, ABB and Sariki.
Field of application
The scope of application is a manufacturing company for the aerospace sector. This implies that its processes and products are subject to:
- Critical regulatory framework.
- Highly demanding technical requirements with unitary dimensional control of all the parts.
- «Certified» by the customer Processes with a commitment to repeatability.
- EDM process dealing with high added value parts.
- Medium-sized series to small batches.
Problems identifield
Quality problems and scrap generation due to manual programming of EDM machines
- Errors in manual data input, programmes and tool offset compensation.
Limited machine availability
- Machine stopped while programming.
- Problems with the availability of electrodes: no traceability or life cycle management.
Lack of process repeatability
- Pre-setting data is not reached in 100% of electrodes.
- No pre-setting of parts. It is assumed that all of the parts are well positioned in the toolset.
Solution implemented
Automation and management of the EDM cell with robotised handling of parts and electrodes by the MIC platform.
The ABB robotic system automatically loads and unloads the components and, depending on the reference, loads the corresponding electrode.
The measurement is carried out to check that the erosion is produced with the required characteristics. If it does not comply with the specifications, the product is sent to a special shelf for further analysis by the operator. In addition, the warehouse has input and output shelves, which allows for a continuous and efficient workflow.
The entire process is controlled by the MIC platform, which guarantees high precision and efficiency in production.
Scope
Components
The fully automated cell consists of the following components:
- MIC platform for automation and control with EDM configuration
- ONA IRIS EDM machine
- ABB Robot
- Mitutoyo CMM measuring machine distributed by Sariki
- SMARTPM warehouse.
SMARTPM Engineering Service
Services provided by our engineering team:
- Process optimisation engineering.
- Change management.
- Implementation, configuration of assets and testing.
3 WEEKS FOR IMPLEMENTATION
- Automatic feeding of parts and tools.
- 100% pre-setting of parts and tools (electrodes).
- 100% inspection of parts and electrodes.
- Tool management: traceability and life cycle.
- Pre-setting data automatic programming and upload in EDM: full traceability of the process.
Impact on EDM process
✔ Reduction in defects by up to 65% thanks to optimised electrode management and less manual operation (pre-setting / automatic programming / integrated inspection).
✔ Greater effective use of the EDM equipment, with a 65% increase in available capacity thanks to reduced machine set-up time and unattended operation.
✔ Lead time improvements thanks to greater traceability of parts and electrodes
Request a demo
Contact us and our team will offer you a personalised demonstration from our FACTORY Lab.
