Erodex has recently installed a Sodick AG60L spark erosion machine from Sodi-Tech EDM at its state-of-the-art machining centre in Halesowen. The new machine brings vital extra capacity to the facility, which Erodex operates as an R&D manufacturing centre in support of its customers, around 75% of whom serve the aerospace and IGT sectors.
Erodex has followed a guiding philosophy that has endured throughout the decades since it opened the doors for business in 1974 – that is to use the finest raw materials and when allied to first-class manufacturing techniques and the best possible service, will result in a successful business. As one of the three central philosophies, the company’s advanced machining facility is subject to an ongoing programme of investment in the latest technologies.
Although Erodex already had a Sodick AQ35L, the West Midlands company identified a clear need for a second die-sink EDM machine, as Chris Grice, Head of Strategic Capabilities, explains: “In line with our growth over the past five years, we’ve witnessed a requirement for more technical support among our customer base. At Erodex, we can see there is real added value in providing customers with outsourced expertise in addition to the design and manufacture of new electrodes, and the production of existing electrode designs.”
Erodex can of course simply manufacture electrodes to customer drawings, but because of its expertise in the aerospace and IGT sectors, the company has a deep knowledge of what customers are trying to achieve concerning the geometry of the actual components. As a result, design and production advice from Erodex is a pivotal part of the company’s offering, providing important market differentiation. This advice is focused on driving down customer cost per part and providing the customer with better yield on its consumables, greater manufacturing throughput, or reduced scrap and rework.
“As well as designing and manufacturing the optimum electrode, we can spark the customer’s component and thus prove out the electrode’s geometry,” says Mr Grice. “We can offer a complete turnkey solution and, subsequently, become an extension of the customer’s development department to improve existing production and NPI needs. We are aware of the struggle many manufacturing facilities have balancing production and NPI. If a customer does not have the resource or manufacturing assets available, Erodex can be an extremely useful resource, while at the same time allowing customers to save on internal costs.”
The turnkey cost per part program is what Erodex refers to as ‘Application Assist’, an offer that is now even more efficient thanks to the arrival of the new Sodick AG60L die-sink EDM machine. Indeed, several blue-chip OEMs in the aerospace sector are already taking advantage of Application Assist, including major engine manufacturers with facilities worldwide.
“Even though our customer base uses a variety of EDM machines, when it came to extending our capacity, we chose another Sodick because of its reliable motion control,” explains Mr Grice. “We get really good repeatability, which is vital in our line of work, particularly when we have multiple parts loaded in a fixture. In addition, one of our major customers recently purchased eight Sodick AG60L machines, so it made sense to acquire the same model.”
Accredited to both ISO: 9001 and AS: 9100D, Erodex has more than 100 employees across its facilities in the Midlands, Richmond (USA) and Hermosillo (Mexico), all of which are operating Sodick machines.
Installed at the company’s Halesowen headquarters in the middle of 2020, the new Sodick AG60L offers the level of speed and accuracy that makes it the best-selling model in the AG series. The machine features linear drive technology and a direct link between the drive and control to ensure the fastest possible servo response and optimal spark gaps at all times. Travels in the X, Y and Z axis are 600 by 420 by 370mm respectively. At Halesowen, the machine has already proven adept at developing new ways of producing electrodes and enhanced methods of die-sinking components.
“Even though the machine was installed during the Covid-19 pandemic, our commitment to customers runs far deeper than a short interlude, if we can call it that. We have a determination to deliver the best service possible, supported by skilled EDM engineers and backed-up with optimum materials and manufacturing technologies, such as the Sodick machines,” says Mr Grice.
