Spark and wire EDM for turbines
Camcraft mould tools are used to manufacture gas turbines, used in the land-based power generation and aero-engine sectors
Precision toolmaking specialist Camcraft has bought three new EDM machines that will be used in the manufacture of mould tools and inserts for gas turbines.
The two spark erosion and one wirecut EDM machines, all from GF AgieCharmilles,replace older, less sophisticated EDM technology and were selected for their large working envelopes, machining speed and ability to work untended.
Says Steve Pearson, managing director at Camcraft: “The mould tools and inserts we manufacture are incredibly complex. They are characterised by their accuracy and intricacy – with delicate and hard-to-machine details and features such as thin walls, tight radii and so on – and by their high value.
“As a consequence we need access to the most advanced and most productive technologies to help us manufacture tools to the highest quality, to meet the tight delivery times we work to, and to help us control our costs. “
Camcraft mould tools are used for investment casting and it works closely with its foundry customers to to design, manufacture high-quality tools which are used to produce a range of performance-critical aero-engine parts such as turbine blades and vanes, as well as a variety of engine mountings and housings.
Investment castings in new alloys allow more intricate and innovative designs that improve engine performance and deliver greater engine fuel efficiencies. And, because aero-engines run at higher temperatures, they must be cooled by ever more complex cooling solutions which must also be accommodated in an aero-engine’s design and manufacture.
Camcraft mould tools start life from drawings and/or models. The mould tools and inserts are machined and from them expendable wax patterns and ceramic cores are made.
To ensure that the patterns and cores produce the desired finished casting result it is likely that a number of design modifications will occur to the mould tool and a number of different iterations made to the patterns and cores as a consequence.
The process can be long and involved – but Camcraft, though its experience and know-how (including access to advanced machine tool technologies), can be relied upon to deliver on-time, in-time and in-budget solutions.
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