At the Kirov plant "Mayak" (part of the "Kalashnikov" concern), two modern electrical discharge machines with automatic wire feeding and cutting functions, as well as a machine for ultra-precise cutting, have been put into operation. The equipment was placed in the enterprise's tool management department.
Electrical discharge machines process any conductive metals, including superhard alloys, using electrical discharges. A thin wire acts as an electrode – it cuts complex contours with micron precision. With older models, operators had to manually feed the wire into the fixture holes, stopping the machine each time. The new equipment does this automatically, minimizing manual labor. As a result, the processing time for parts has decreased, and their quantity has increased. Setters now have more time for other tasks – for example, writing programs.
The ultra-precise cutting machine is designed for holes in control fixtures and molds. After its operation, no additional mechanical processing or grinding of the cut edges is required before QC inspection. This has reduced the need for grinding and increased the volume of quality blanks.
High-precision equipment is sensitive to temperature fluctuations – they affect the properties of metal at the micron level. To create a stable microclimate in the workshop premises, a climate control system is planned to be installed.
By the end of May, three more high-precision machines and heat treatment furnaces with automatic loading of large parts will be delivered to the tool management department. After the modernization is completed, an increase in capacity, productivity, and quality of tooling manufacturing is expected.
