rbertalotto
10-14-2011, 10:06 AM
At the heart of the machine shop are the EDM’s (Electric Discharge Machine). These machines use electricity to cut our dies. We have both wire feed EDM’s and plunge EDM’s (otherwise referred to as a sinker EDM.) Because the dies are made of extremely hard material, some of them have an incredibly long life span.
The wire EDM sends an electrical current through the wire via electrical contacts in the upper and lower heads, which move independently giving the machinists the ability to cut very complex shapes. Below is an example of what the wire EDM is capable of. The machine was programed to cut a #1 on one side of a solid steel block and a #2 on the other.
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-1-012.jpg
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-1-017.jpg
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-027.jpg
The sinker EDM is used to machine various shapes into very hard materials. We use these machines to cut the shapes of the bullets nose or ogive as well as other applications in the bullet building process. This machine uses an electrode to burn its way into the material. The EDM’s can hold very tight tolerances – up to .0001 of an inch which is equal to the diameter of a human hair sliced lengthwise into 30 equal pieces. As an example of its capabilities, pictured below is an item produced by the Sinker EDM machine. This is a solid piece of steel that has been machined to produce a ball inside that cannot fall out.
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-1-009.jpg
All of this from the Barnes Bullet newsletter this month...........
The wire EDM sends an electrical current through the wire via electrical contacts in the upper and lower heads, which move independently giving the machinists the ability to cut very complex shapes. Below is an example of what the wire EDM is capable of. The machine was programed to cut a #1 on one side of a solid steel block and a #2 on the other.
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-1-012.jpg
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-1-017.jpg
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-027.jpg
The sinker EDM is used to machine various shapes into very hard materials. We use these machines to cut the shapes of the bullets nose or ogive as well as other applications in the bullet building process. This machine uses an electrode to burn its way into the material. The EDM’s can hold very tight tolerances – up to .0001 of an inch which is equal to the diameter of a human hair sliced lengthwise into 30 equal pieces. As an example of its capabilities, pictured below is an item produced by the Sinker EDM machine. This is a solid piece of steel that has been machined to produce a ball inside that cannot fall out.
http://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/October-2011-Tech-Tips-Machine-Shop-Tour-1-009.jpg
All of this from the Barnes Bullet newsletter this month...........