The technology of Electro Discharge Machining is indispensable in the manufacture of injection molds for complex parts. Since it is frequently impossible from a technical point of view, to manufacture a complete electrode, it is not uncommon for the electrode geometry to have to be divided into more than a hundred individual segments for the manufacture of parts with a number of ridges and grooves, such as the casing for a drilling machine. The layer-by-layer construction technique of Selective Laser Sintering permits even complex electrodes to be manufactured in one operation. The objective of an industrial research project with four european companies currently under way at the Fraunhofer IPT, is to reduce throughput times and costs in the mold manufacturing industry by accelerating the production of EDM electrodes.
| Number of Pages : | 10 |
| Published : | 11/01/2000 |
