introduced its new EDBV3 (electrical discharge blade and vane) fast hole drill EDM. “The EDBV3 is designed to provide aero- space manufacturers with the speed, flexibility and reliability to produce a wide range of hole shapes and sizes within a single setup, reducing required tool variety and overall cycle times.” said Brian Pfluger, Makino EDM product line manager.
“The airline industry could
face the very real threat that landing fees in the world’s major metropolises could be charged based on carbon emissions, which can be measured in tons per round trip per airliner.”
Forced air cooling, special coatings and higher heat-resistant metals are increasingly being used to overcome the effects of increased aero-engine tem- peratures that are beyond the melting point of the base materials. “Holes range from typical straight through-hole sizes between 0.020–0.030" [0.5–0.76 mm] diameter with relatively shallow depths of 0.040–0.080" [1–2 mm] to diffuser holes with funnel or fan-shape geometry that can vary from a simple cone to an elongated rectangle,” said Pfluger. “The purpose of diffuser holes is to control the airflow and effective cooling of the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow cast en- gine detail. Often the final through-hole of a diffuser isn’t centered to the outer funnel geometry and is offset to one side to direct or change air flow.” Design of the EDBV3 is aimed at production EDM hole drilling. “To facilitate the processing of complex 3D parts, the machine is configured with an integrated two-axis rotary table that is
used for positioning of the workpiece, and the remaining four machine axes are used to position the electrode and die guide to the proper machining location. Typically, we use a palletized tooling mechanism from EROWA or System 3R to hold and