June 2007 Edition

EDM

Shop Develops Expertise in Processes, Not Parts

“Speed, quality, cost. Pick any two.” This epigram holds true for both buyers and sellers of goods and services. A shop with a large portion of its business in aerospace and defense specializes in balancing all three.

Some shops focus on specific markets and industries for their success. EDM Resources, Huntington Beach, CA, takes a different tack.

“We concentrate on having the best know-how and using the best machinery to get the absolute most out of it,” Geoff Velekei, president of EDM Resources, said. “We concentrate on being the best we can at the process, rather than specializing in an individual type of part. This has allowed us to become competitive across a range of work.”

With 21 years of experience in EDM, the company possesses an understanding of what it takes to succeed in the market. Initially, the bulk of the company’s work was in the aerospace industry. Over time, military work has grown to equal that workload, with a small mix of medical, automotive, and entertainment industry work.

That Sinking Feeling
The shop started its EDM efforts with die sinking, acquiring its first wire EDM in 1989. The increased flexibility of the process led to an expansion in the shop’s business. Eventually, EDM Resources acquired jobs best-suited for wire EDM, but was unable to perform with the equipment it had.

“We had the chance to acquire work that has since become a consistent source of employment for us,” Velekei said. “Due to the size of the pieces in question and the angles and tolerances required, we knew it was time to upgrade our wire EDM.”

The job prompting the shift came from the aerospace industry and involved antenna horns that receive and transmit satellite radio waves. Made from a solid piece of aluminum usually 6" to 15" high, the thin-walled pieces required tapers between 5° and 35°. EDM Resources found only one machine that could handle the pieces.

“Our relationship with Agie Charmilles was born out of necessity,” Velekei said. “It was the only company at the time that made a wire EDM that could handle a 15" piece and accurately hold a 30° taper angle.”

That wire EDM was a Robofil 310, from Agie Charmilles Corp., Lincolnshire, IL. The machine brought increased capabilities to EDM Resources, resulting in increased revenue. Within a year, the company purchased a second Robofil 310 to accommodate demand. The increased capacity, coupled with the new machines’ speed, gave EDM Resources an advantage over competitors in turnaround time.

Shorter Turnarounds
“It’s one thing to offer the highest-quality part possible,” Velekei said, “the challenge is to offer that level of quality in the shortest possible time. With the EDM machines, we’ve been able to match customer demand for shorter turnaround times. That’s been a huge competitive advantage.”

The next major growth spurt for EDM Resources came in 2002, when defense contract work expanded. The intricate work involved machining Kovar alloy to exacting dimensions. Again, the shop needed to expand its capabilities. Again, it turned to Agie Charmilles.

Within a year, the company purchased a Charmilles Robofi l 240cc and Robofi l 440cc wire EDMs. In addition to expanding its wire capabilities, EDM Resources added a Roboform 40 and two Roboform 55P die-sinking EDMs to its operations. This was EDM Resources’ fastest period of growth.

The shop’s Robofil 440cc handles parts up to 24" high, fully submerged. EDM Resources found value in the machines’ CC generators.

“The CCs are at least three times faster than our previous machines and we’ve documented several jobs where they’re actually five times faster,” Velekei said.

In addition to increased speed, the shop documented improved machine reliability. “One job has been running consistently on one of our Charmilles CC machines for a year, 24 threads a day,” Velekei said.

“I keep the filters up to make sure I don’t dirty the upper head and the machine’s automatic wire threader simply never misses a thread.”

Less Stress
The reliability in the shop’s machinery has been consistent across various situations, giving EDM Resources confidence in its ability to get a job done. “We had a job where we would run six parts at a time for 12 hours, fl ip the parts and run the other sides for 12 hours,” Velekei said. “We were running 24 hours, 42 in2 an hour with a 0.01" brass half-hard wire and experienced virtually no wire breakage.”

The combination of the right equipment and an experienced workforce lets EDM Resources compete across a variety of jobs. The shop prides itself on possessing experience with an array of materials. It is not unusual for the company to bid on jobs not designed to be burned on EDM. EDM Resources has won such bids after emphasizing that EDM would provide a faster turnaround time, perfect angles, and without the stresses associated with milling or grinding.

“Our shop gets a variety of work these days,” Velekei said. “Along with broader aerospace and military work, we’re receiving more jobs in automotive, molds, and the medical fields. Our capabilities draw some interesting work. We did some work on a robotic Mickey Mouse for a Disney ride.”

EDM Resources has further diversified, increasing its customer base by 200 percent. More customers resulted in a 25 percent sales growth despite economic downturns and fewer orders from some of the company’s largest customers. In 2006, EDM Resources moved into a 10,000 ft2 facility with advanced climate- control technology to ensure EDM accuracy. Projections, based on existing company contracts, forecast a 50 percent growth in annual sales volume in 2007.

Agie Charmilles Corp. www.rsleads.com/706mn-207

What do you think?
Will the information in this article increase efficiency or save time, money, or effort? Let us know by e-mail from our website at www.ModernApplicationsNews.com or e-mail the editor at pnofel@nelsonpub.com.