December 2008 Edition

EDM

Following the Current

Three EDMs stimulate a shop, letting it process difficult parts with short lead times

"If they need it quick, they call on us," Dave Brown, vice president of Lyons Tool and Die Co., said. "Difficult parts with short lead times are our specialty."

His manufacturing facility in Meriden, CT, is often called upon to develop components from which other companies steer clear.

"Our participation begins with the review of a customer’s design concept," Brown said. "Our engineering group reviews the application and makes recommendations that may reduce cost, improve manufacturability, or improve the performance of the device or assembly."

Founded in 1951, Lyons made a name for itself in the production of complex custom metal stampings and progressive dies. The company has since expanded its services. Today, Lyons serves manufacturers in industries ranging from medical to aerospace. Its capabilities include precision metal stamping, rapid prototyping, complex CNC machining, EDM, component assembly, and project management. The FDA-registered company also has Class 10,000 cleanrooms for packaging and assembling medical devices and implants.

Lyons produces a range of tooling for its internal stamping operations, including steel and carbide progressive eyelet, compound, and dies; coining dies; secondary dies; as well as tooling for its rapid-prototyping department. Stampings are done not only in metals such as stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, beryllium, brass, copper, bronze, and carbon steels, but also in engineered plastics and composites that include Kapton, Mylar, Teflon, and other materials.

Three Times the Productivity

In 2005 Lyons purchased a FANUC 12" wire EDM machine – its third FANUC EDM – from Methods EDM, Sudbury, MA. Lyons uses its three machines – often around the clock – to make precision tooling components for its stamping operations, to produce prototype components for its growing customer base, and to perform secondary operations on production parts such as stainless steel tubing.

For one customer, an OEM medical-device provider, Lyons may produce 50,000 parts per year, using the FANUCs in a secondary operation to create a specialized cutting edge.

"The part is a blade for a disposable surgical device," Brown said. "The customer told us that the cutting edge was meeting or exceeding the requirements for the device, for both function and cost."‌

With fast cutting speeds, an auto wire feed system, and a CNC, the wire EDMs provide accuracy and smooth surface finishes.

"The new machine is everything we wanted," Brown said. "These EDM machines help make Lyons one of the fastest prototyping houses in the country. We’re impressed with their quality and ability to hold tight tolerances.

"We pride ourselves on being able to make difficult parts, and the EDM is one of the tools we use to produce these parts. Often, a customer comes to us with a part that, in production, will require tooling costing anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000. Prior to making this investment, customers call on us to produce prototype parts using these machines and other rapid-prototyping equipment. Depending on the complexity of the job, we can make a dozen parts in days as opposed to weeks. The parts let customers test the component without a huge initial investment. When they decide to invest in production tooling, they know that the component meets the functional requirements of the assembly."

More Bang for the Buck

For one medical-device customer, Lyons produced a run of 5,000 parts on the EDMs. Each machine was loaded with specially-configured stacks of material, then set to run unattended through the night. Upon completion of the EDM operation, Lyon’s prototype technicians put a complex series of bends into each part prior to providing the customer with the finished components.

Lyons expanded its capabilities through alliances with subcontractors. It now manages a project from conception to finished parts. Subcontracted services include plating, coating, casting, laser or electron beam welding, laser cutting, plastic injection molding, and metal injection molding.

The medical components Lyons produces are used in laparoscopic devices, surgical tools, and other medical instruments, with about 80 percent of them disposable. The company often makes many of the metal components found in mostly-plastic instruments, with the metal components the most difficult to produce.

Although performance was the reason Lyons chose to buy its first FANUC EDM about seven years ago, it was not the only reason.

"We felt it was the best value for the price," Brown said. "Also, the service we get from Methods is good. That was a definite factor in our decision to stick with FANUC for our next two EDMs. Training has been effective. Installation of the new machine went well; we were making parts the next day." he said. Methods EDM

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