The company operates injection moulding machines up to 650t to produce components for customers in various industry sectors, including aerospace, automotive and medical device technology. Its EDM department now has four CNC die sink EDM machines and two CNC wire EDM machines. As well as the V350G Excetek wire EDM machine, WMT also supplied a fully refurbished ONA Techno H 400 die sinking EDM machine. 

The V350G Excetek has been well received by staff. It has a footprint of just 2 by 2m, but is fitted with a 600L tank, capable of accommodating workpieces up to 700 x 500 x 215mm and weighing up to 450kg. This fully specified wire machine has U and V axis travels of 80mm and ±30° taper capability and an accuracy of 3 micron over 100mm.

Product designs are usually sent to the toolroom as solid models. Using its Delcam and Solid Edge software the company operates a paperless 3D environment, other than the paper general assembly drawings which are sent out with the completed tools. As a full service provider Key Plastics works with its customers to carry out feasibility studies on moulded parts. This allows changes to be suggested, which will improve the productivity of the mould tool prior to it manufacture. 

Working in most materials, including most engineering polymers such as Delrin and nylon, the toolroom also produces the copper electrodes used by the die sinkers. “Most medical tools are stainless, but general moulds are H13 hardened, or P20 if an economical solutions is required,” says Ciaran Downes, director.

The diverse mix of materials being loaded onto the Excetek V350G highlights its high speed cutting capability, as well as productivity enhancing functions such as its Auto Wire Threading (AWT). The Excetek AWT provides continuous unmanned operation day and night. It can thread at the point of the wire breakage, and a water jet function enables the machine to thread submerged workpieces. 

Ciaran Downes concludes: “We have invested in these EDM machines from WMT for the future improvement of the business. Now, with the number of machine tools available in the toolroom, we can support the demand from the various industries we support.”