Erowa asks: How many electrodes are measured before they are released for EDM? The answer is all of them, which places high demands on measurement.

The company explained that traceability in production, rigorous quality demands, a large number of measurements and automation of processes all demand new paths be taken in the manufacturing process. This is where the company’s Q-Measure comes in. The CAD software plugin lets operators quickly and easily specify the properties for the measurements with a familiar CAD system user interface, Erowa said.

With the plug-in, measuring points and tolerances are said to be defined. The simulation then indicates whether any collision points exist, and, if not, the process continues. The JMS-pro process control system then assigns all data for the subsequent measurement automatically to the proper electrode.

According to the supplier, after the electrode has been manufactured, a robot that is part of the automated production process sets it up on the measuring machine. The electrode is then identified by means of the integrated chip located in the electrode holder.

Q-Measure is then used to generate the appropriate measuring program, after which the quality measurement is started. This also explains how automation works properly even for a lot size of one. The measuring process step is handled the same as any other kind of processing, the manufacturer explained.

After measurement, the data is evaluated in two ways: First, the release or blockage of the next steps is initiated automatically. The predefined tolerances form the basis of decision for the system. Second, an event log is generated automatically. This shows both graphically and numerically the measuring results and their relationship to the specifications. The log is generated as PDF and saved with the job.

For more sophisticated shapes, the 3D feature displays exactly where the points are located. The generated graphics can be freely rotated and turned on any PC on which Acrobat Reader is installed.