Oktober 20, 2020
Manufacturing

Electrochemical Cutting and Grinding Provide Faster Cuts and Greater Accuracy Than Laser Cutting

Cutting metal hypotubes requires precision cutting equipment that maintains a high surface quality. Laser cutting and electrochemical cutting or grinding are popular processes used for this application.

Cutting metal hypotubes requires precision cutting equipment that maintains a high surface quality. Laser cutting and electrochemical cutting or grinding are popular processes used for this application.

Laser cutting uses a high-powered beam to cut the tubing by melting it. Recast, slag, heat-affected zones, and rough edges are left behind, requiring time-consuming secondary processes to deburr the tubes and remove any debris. When cutting through the tubes, beam deflection can affect the accuracy of the cut causing damage. Tubes and other parts are typically cut one at a time limiting production rates.

Electrochemical Cutting (ECC) and Grinding (ECG) generate an electrochemical reaction that dissolves the metal surface in conjunction with mechanical abrasive grinding. This combination provides faster cycle times and higher quality than conventional cutting and grinding methods. ECC and ECG provide faster, accurate, and burr-free results with no heat-affected zones, no debris after rinsing, no metallurgical damage, and no distortion.

“ECC and ECG are burr-free, which eliminates the need for deburring or other corrective secondary operations, reduces scrap, and improves efficiency,” explained Tom Travia the Director of ECG Sales at Glebar Company. “The very low cutting forces make them ideal for tubing and heat-sensitive alloys.”

Using the CS1-E Burr-Free Electrochemical Cutoff Machine from Tridex Technology, multiple tubes can be cut to length at the same time. It features a highly precise feed system that can be accurately positioned to .00040” (.01mm). Tridex’s ECC machines also have the ability to cut off and grind notches in the same operation.

In a typical example, using ECC 89, 25 G (.020” diameter) hypotubes are cut per cycle. The cycle time is 20 seconds or 0.23 seconds per piece. Comparatively, laser cutting would take approximately two seconds per piece or three minutes for all 89 hypotubes.

For secondary operations such as notching, bevel grinding, and multi-facet pointing, the Burr-Free Electrochemical Surface Grinders (ECG) SG-1645 or SG-2060 from Tridex can be used. An optional pallet index table on these surface grinders allows for high production grinding without stopping to load and unload parts.

A major benefit of the Tridex ECC and ECG machines is that they are simple to set up and operate featuring intuitive software and controls. The software collects shop floor data for OEE and process monitoring.

Source: Glebar Company