EMO'99 Paris

ONA EDM has developed, within the framework of the project Eureka E1721 (Arial), a technology that allows diversifying applications of EDM wire to many tasks. The result of the work carried out has been the new Arion K 1000.

Arial has had two areas of interest; the first consisted in the development of a new concept of EDM machines by wire to respond to the requirements of the user in all regards to the operation of the machine and the working conditions. The second pole of attention has been given with a system of robotization that automate the process of mass production.

The Department of research and development of technologies ONA EDM considers very important advantages of the new Arion K 1000, which has had a cost of development of 1.8 million euros. "Basically we have developed the entire design of the machine on the basis of which the work piece is in static position." To achieve this, we have developed a new system of work of threaded for thread and it has been to improve the anti-collision mechanism and control. Experience has shown us that the problems tend to increase with the size of the machine and we are determined to produce machines as large as possible. "In theory, whether by wire EDM machines working these sizes, also work smaller versions", says the head of the Department, Xabier Maidagan.

K 1000 has a bandwidth of 3.2 m, 4,3 m long and 3.5 m tall, is, that is, according to claim their manufacturers, two times larger than any other machine available in the market. These dimensions allow you to support parts of 2.3 x 1.6 x 0.6 m. The machine also allows machine accurately pieces of very complex shapes made in special materials for lightweight, essential requirements in the construction of satellites, at the same time that introduces improvements in the fields of aerospace and automotive.

The participation of ONA EDM in community-based projects began in 1989 with the program Brite - Euram (Wetcat). According to the Department's r & d, "when we began to study the development work required for this project, we realized that it was much more respondent by the market than before." "In addition, Eureka is the best framework for this type of research".

ONA EDM has been a special interest in strengthening the Department of research and development, in which they work 23% of its workers. In addition, the company conducts other research projects in collaboration with European centres of the area of machine tools (ILT-Fraunhofer, WZL-Aachen, among others), as well as other Basque technology network, as Tekniker, Labein, Fatronik, UPV-EHV, etc.

The launch of the Arion K 1000 machine has had a great reception on the market. The first test to which he was subjected, the EMO newly completed in Paris, has proved to be a great attraction and its makers claim that it has been the most important novelty of all claims filed by firms EDM machinery manufacturers.