Fast EDM drilling for turbines

At MACH 2018, Leicester-based Tek4 will be introducing a world first dedicated to aerospace production of blades and vanes.

As a leading specialist in cooling hole drilling technology for jet engines and gas turbines, Tek4 will be introducing its 6G FHD SA (Small Aerospace), the newest EDM fast hole drilling machine specifically for industrial turbine production.

Established in 2002, Tek4 has doubled the size of its Leicester premises in 2017 and at MACH, company staff will be happy to furnish stand visitors with in-depth detailed information. The new facility incorporates a showroom and research centre as well as increased production capability to satisfy the increasing demand from international customers.

Tek4 specialises in EDM machining for fast hole drilling, combined EDM and laser machines for hole drilling and ceramic coating ablation as well as laser for drilling and cutting operations and also ECM for STEM drilling deep cooling holes in gas turbine components. It supplies all major jet engine OEMs as well as all primary industrial gas turbine (IGT) manufacturers. With dedicated flexible models, the company has enjoyed success with subcontractors and second tier suppliers.

The new 6G FHD SA machine on the stand at MACH incorporates full 6-axis simultaneous machining, intelligent probing, pre-breakthrough and breakthrough tool detection. These innovative features are essential for machine shops in this sector as it enables companies to avoid the risk of back wall impingement. The machine is fitted as standard with an automatic electrode guide changer and automatic electrode changer which can accommodate electrodes 600mm long for extended autonomy.

The EDM generator works in combination with the Tek4 developed software. This allows for excellent metallurgical results, which is another critical parameter for this high-tech industry.

In addition, the machine can be integrated in an autonomous robot cell with automatic part loading for unmanned operation. A laser ablation head can be integrated with the FHD machines for the removal of the ceramic protective barrier enabling EDM drilling. Having the EDM head and the laser head on the same machine avoids positioning issues and reduces capital investment.

The 5G FHD has an X-, Y- and Z-axis of 300 x 300 x 400mm, with 360° rotation in the A-(±180°) and C-axes (360° continuous), a 600mm drill stroke and a maximum work part weight of 20kg.

This flexibility enables the new machine to process holes from 0.25mm to 10mm diameter up to 200mm deep on the most difficult to access surfaces.

Tek4 www.tek4.co.uk Stand: H18-8