Electrodes

[JBowman]

I need to find a faster and easier way to engineer electrodes. I’ve been engineering electrodes in Mastercam for years and it can be a real pain in the arse at times. We use a couple different orbit styles depending on the detail and geometry. Most of the time we use a simple orbit on the XY plane so corner detail remains sharp and some spherical orbiting. The spherical orbiting is easier because you can adjust the USPS using the stock amount or lie about the ball EM size. The XY orbiting can be hard if the geometry gets complex.

 

Can Solidworks or any other program take a face or cavity detail and make a reverse detail and reduce that detail a specified amount on a plane or spherical? We have a seat of Solidworks but if it’s not going to help speed up our process were not going to update it.

 

Thanks!

[bestguest]

Take a look at Cimatron.The electrode module is very good and you do not need a watertight model to start with.

[Midwest]

Have you looked @ MoldPlus for electrodes???

[Guest]

Check out MoldPlus

[Matt Berube at Ferron Mold]

I have a license of Moldplus that I no longer use. Back when I only had MC to create electrodes it was sometimes helpful but the big downfall there is that it is only for surfaces. Any software that won't deal with solids is old news IMO.

 

I stopped using MP when I got Topsolid. Topsolid does have a special electrode function that does some impressive things but we don't even have that. The solid tools are so powerful in TS that I design electrodes there and then machine in MC.

 

Unfortunately, this still doesn't get you where you want to be because I design the electrodes to final product size and then use the same methods as you for achieving S.G.

 

I *think* the electrode package for TS will create the S.G. for you automatically but not sure...

 

TS does some really cool stuff but there is a significant learning curve and there are definitely some serious cons to consider too.

[JBowman]

Does Moldplus allow you to select orbiting method and reduction amount? I didn’t see anything on their site referring to orbiting or reduction.

[Matt Berube at Ferron Mold]

I'm no expert on Moldplus but to the best of my knowledge it creates electrodes that are exactly the same as "steel" size. The spark gap is achieved in the toolpath.

 

It does have fields where you input the "undersize" amounts but that is just a setup reference for the EDM operator.

 

The surface geometry is never moved or reduced.

[edmBosto]

quote:

---

I need to find a faster and easier way to engineer electrodes.

---

Bowman I feel your pain. I design my trodes different ways and that all depends on the geometry or the mood I am in. (Usually a good mood )

Sometimes I call for a XZ orbit or YZ. Other times cirle, or X.

I like taking some of the steel geo. and throw it on another level and extend the geo to a z height.

Then I can lie about my tool cutter sizes to allow for the overburn.

 

Other times I design it using the cavity steel size and make a solid out of it with the mastercam solids add on. I also have the option of shelling the electrode then make surfaces from that, then change the outside color and delete that new outside color. Then I am left with a gapped shape. I like to take that gapped shape and make a solid from it and create curved edges since that is the best way to get the edges. Sometimes I'll recreate the fillets for an X or square orbit.

 

So to answer your questions I use the solid add on alot. I can draft the sides and create fillets very easily.

Another avenue to take would be to extract the geometry using pro-e. A pro e expert can show you how to do that.

I think it's good to know several ways.

 

Or I just push the easy button!

[Moldmaker74]

quote:

---

Can Solidworks or any other program take a face or cavity detail and make a reverse detail and reduce that detail a specified amount on a plane or spherical?

---

In Mastercam if you have a solid of your cavity you can create your electrode body and use Boolean Remove to generate an electrode as a negative from the impression. You can do the same in Solidworks by using the cavity feature using parts in an assembly file. Also If you only use surfaces in Mastercam, you can copy the pertinent surfaces onto a new level as edmbosto mentioned.

 

As far as machining goes I always program actual tool diameters and use a the stock to leave option with a negative value equal to the overburn. I calibrate the tool over the top of the part equal to the overburn so that Z0 is the top of the part when cutting.