GF Agie Charmilles has developed the Drill 300 high-speed EDM hole-drilling machine, designed for accurate, small and deep hole-drilling applications.

According to the company, the technology can achieve end results well beyond the reach of conventional machining methods, because EDM drills can machine their way through virtually any conductive material (e.g., inconels or titanium).

The Drill 300 is a large-capacity EDM unit that can accommodate workpieces of up to 1000 x 700 x 500 mm and 1,000 kg on its compact fixed table. Apart from the standard X- (600 mm), Y- (400 mm) and Z-axis (450 mm) movements, the machine also features a W-axis (450 mm) and optional rotary/tilting table (A-/B-axes) and a 45° tilting head functionality. The features allow for high-accuracy holes of any angle, it said.

According to the company, the machine’s 6-axis machining capability means it can produce round and other-shaped cooling holes (such as those found in aerospace blades and vanes), while its indexing table allows for the machining of holes in a circular pattern. Agie Chamilles noted that standard electrode diameters handled by the machine are 0.3-3.0 mm, but micro-machining electrodes with diameters down to 0.1 mm can be accommodated. For machining larger holes, the unit can handle electrodes up to 6 mm in diameter.

The machine is said to be simple and straightforward to use and features a touch screen based on the Windows XP operating system, which enables the easy set-up and programming of single and multi-holes, multi-workpieces, electrodes and guides using five main pages: Easy Drill, Work Preparation, Work Execution, Service and File Manager.