Technological advances

Pickering-based Ryetools, a designer and manufacturer of high performance plastic injection mould tools for the packaging and medical/pharmaceutical industries, has invested in two Sodick SL series wire erosion machines from Sodi-Tech EDM, a move that has led to an increase in output of 20% for multi-cut work.

In addition, the investment means the company can now accommodate taller workpieces and larger spools of wire, while programming is faster and more intuitive.

Established in 1988, Ryetools has grown to become a market leader in complex plastic injection mould tools of up to four tonnes capacity, specialising in moulds for the packaging and medical/pharmaceutical industries. These are either high volume applications, such as caps and closures, or high value/precision for medical and pharmaceutical applications. Mould types supplied by the 27 employee business include high cavitation, collapsing core, auto-unscrewing, in-mould closing, twin-shot and thin wall, among others.

In with the old, in with the new

To help accommodate the company’s growing order book, Ryetools is aware that keeping up with the latest manufacturing technologies can provide genuine competitive gain, which is why it recently sought to upgrade its in-house wire EDM capability.

“We’ve had a couple of Sodick wire EDMs since 2000, and although they were still accurate and reliable, we knew we were missing out on a number of technological advances,” explains managing director Darren Hugill. “For example, along with greater productivity, we wanted to accommodate taller workpieces and use more 0.1mm diameter wire (rather than 0.25mm) to achieve smaller radii in the apertures of intricate mould inserts.”

Very satisfied with the performance of his existing Sodick machines and the support of Sodi-Tech EDM, Ryetools didn’t think about going elsewhere for its new investment. In fact, along with investing in new SLC400G and SLC600G wire EDMs, the company also decided to retain one of its older Sodick machines.

“We have been so busy lately that all three of our Sodick machines have been running at capacity to meet the demand for inserts – we produce moulds with up to 96 impressions,” Mr Hugill says. “However, the difference between the new machines and our older one is vast – for instance the higher generator power means we can cut thicker parts, faster.

“I estimate that the new machines are 20% quicker on multi-cut work, while we get an extra 50mm X-axis height with the SLC600G. Furthermore, the automatic wire feed is vastly improved, which along with the use of 20kg wire spools, means we can run for several days unattended.”

The new Sodick SL series wire EDMs have been set to work at Ryetools’ 21,000ft² purpose-designed facility producing a host of different mould tool inserts from hardened tool steels, as well as beryllium copper mould alloys such as Moldmax – on which Mr Hugill says performance has been improved by the new machines.

“There is very little, if anything, to do after wiring,” he says. “Both surface finish and accuracy are very impressive. We typically work to 5µm, which is plain sailing for the SL machines. Quality is the key to our success; if we keep our customers happy from a quality perspective, we will continue to pick-up work through referrals and recommendations.”

Sodick's linear motor technology provides instantaneous servo time, which maximises cutting efficiency. Since there are no ballscrews or couplings, backlash is totally eliminated which offers several advantages, including improved positioning and cutting accuracy while at the same time providing smooth and vibration-free table movement.

March Precision

Aldershot-based precision subcontract machining and manufacturing specialist, March Precision Engineering is using its recently acquired Sodick VZ300L CNC wire EDM to achieve 30% faster cycles and better surface finishes than the model it replaced. Supplied and installed by Sodi-Tech EDM, the new machine ensures the company has complete control over its manufacturing and quality processes.

UKAS and ISO9001 approved, March Precision was established in 2002 with little more than one lathe and one milling machine. Today the company has grown to offer its engineering processes to a wide range of clients using a plethora of the latest CNC machine tool technology, which now includes gear cutting, 3D printing and wire EDM.

“We had an older Sodick wire EDM that gave great service over the years, thus prompting us to buy Sodick again,” explains managing director Mike Vincent. “We were aware that upgrading to a new model would bring a number of technology-related advantages, such as automatic wire feed, which we knew would save time.”

Due to demand and growth, March Precision moved to its current, larger premises in 2006. In fact, the eight-employee company added the neighbouring unit to its available floor space in 2014.

Today, industries served include oil and gas, motorsport, aerospace, defence, automotive, science and retail, largely to customers within a 50 mile radius. March Precision supplies everything from prototype development work through to large batch production components. However, current typical batch sizes on the new Sodick VZ300L, are in the region of 1-10-off.

“To be honest, we manage to keep the machine busy without actually promoting the fact that we offer a wire EDM service,” says Mr Vincent. “Most of the work for the machine arrives off the back of milling and turning jobs. Moving forward we are looking to change that, letting people know that a new wire EDM is available in the area to help customers with their precision engineering projects.”

Rapid return on investment

The Sodick VZ300L is equipped with linear motors and a ten-year accuracy guarantee as standard. The machine achieves excellent levels of accuracy, surface finish and cutting speeds via its high performance LN2W generator. This specific model was selected by March as it offered a similar working envelope to the machine it replaced, accommodating workpieces with dimensions up to 780mm x 570mm x 215mm, and up to 500kg in weight. The machine also offers 80 by 80mm U/V-axis travel and ±15° taper angle capability.

“We had a demonstration of the VZ300L at Sodi-Tech’s facility in Coventry and the machine sold itself,” says Mr Vincent. “It has been put to work producing a variety of sometimes complex components from materials that include titanium, 17-4 stainless steel and various exotic alloys, typically for Formula One and oil and gas customers.

“I would estimate that it is around 30% faster than our previous machine, which will help achieve a quick return on our investment. Having automatic wire feed also helps to save time, while surface finish is also improved.”

Sodi-Tech has already trained one operator at March Precision on the new VZ300L, with another currently in the process.

“We had great service from Sodi-Tech on our previous machine, which was another reason for returning to them for our latest investment,” concludes Mr Vincent. “Having wire EDM in-house gives us full control over our manufacturing process and the quality we achieve. It also means we can offer a complete component manufacturing service, whereas some of our competitors have to subcontract their wire EDM requirements.”

Sodi-Tech www.sodi-techedm.co.uk

Ryetools www.ryetools.co.uk

March Precision www.marchprecision.co.uk