for Machining Non-Metallic Materials

3:1 saving in electrode machining time A high tech mold maker for plastic injection molds used in the electronics industry had a problem making a particular mold. The end product, a component part for a computer, had a complicated contoured parting line. The double cavity mold involved four parting line burns, two for the cavity and two for the core. Each burn required four electrodes.
Electrode, mold and product.		Using conventional carbide ball end mills at 40 in/min required a 13-hour tool path. Cutters wore out before the end of one cut, necessitating three tool passes with a new cutter for each pass for a total machining time of 39 hours. The required accuracy of ± .001" was never achieved. Switching to an sp³ diamond-coated 2-flute Dapra insert and cutting at the same speed, each electrode was cut to the required accuracy in one pass with no tool changes, saving 26 hours of shop time per electrode.