Consumer Electronics

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) announced today the MV series of new wire-cut electrical discharge machines (EDMs) suitable for cutting applications for a diverse range of products from product parts to those that require high-accuracy processing, including molding die. Orders will be accepted through Mitsubishi Electric sales offices worldwide beginning March 1.

The MV series reduces power consumption and use of consumable parts to cut running cost by as much as 42% over Mitsubishi Electric’s FA series, one of the company’s existing wire-cut EDMs. Produced in both China and Japan, the new series is expected to accelerate the company’s EDM global sales. Mitsubishi Electric has sold more than 50,000 wire-cut EDMs since 1972.

The MV series will be showcased at INTERMOLD 2012 in Osaka from April 18 to 21.

In line with the increasing functionality of electronic equipment, automobile parts and mobile devices, product parts and molding die for manufacturing purposes are requiring ever-higher levels of productivity and machining accuracy. Manufacturers worldwide, including in emerging countries, are increasingly demanding cutting machines that fulfill such requirements.

Product Lineup

Key Features

1) Reduction of power consumption and consumable parts cuts running cost by up to 42%

• Incorporation of highly efficient servo amplifiers and a linear shaft motor (LSM) that efficiently utilizes magnetic flux, together with an energy-saving mode, help to reduce power consumption by up to 69% over the company’s existing FA series. LSMs are magnets configured into cylinder shapes to reduce power consumption by transferring magnetic flux efficiently 360 degrees into thrust force.
• Reduced use of wires, filters, ion-exchange resins and other hardware also cuts costs. Less wire is required due to the power supply control of the finishing circuit, which reduces the speed of the wire feeder. Filters have longer life spans thanks to an automatic switching function that optimizes liquid flow to the filters. In addition, consumption of ion-exchange resin is reduced by electrical insulation between the processing table and the mold, which improves the stability of electric discharge at low voltage and short pulse, and therefore enables shape control using dielectric fluid that has lower resistance than existing machines.
• Reduced power consumption and consumable parts usage cuts running costs by up to 42% compared to the company’s FA series.

2) Upgraded automatic wiring device improves work efficiency

• The structure of the automatic wiring device was upgraded so that it can use wire electrodes with a curl ratio of up to 10%.
• The upgraded automatic wiring device reconnects wires automatically if wire electrodes are disconnected during processing, which allows processing of workpieces with a thickness of up to 100 mm when using 0.2 mm-diameter wire. The company’s FA series processes sheets of up to 60 mm.

3) Improved productivity and accuracy for die and mold also parts cutting

• The processing surface is enhanced with electrical insulation between the processing table and mold.
• The wire-guide structure has been optimized using fluid analysis, and the efficiency of dielectric fluid supply is improved to facilitate sludge removal, leading to increased processing speed.
• The above improvements enable high-speed shape control of 3.5 μmRz in three machining processes when using a 0.2 mm wire electrode to cut a SKD11 workpiece with a thickness of 60 mm, thereby eliminating an additional procedure required with the FA series.
• The entire processing table is tempered for greater durability, which helps to maintain machining at a highly accurate level.

Specifications

About Mitsubishi Electric

With over 90 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products to both corporate clients and general consumers all over the world, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. The company recorded consolidated group sales of 3,645.3 billion yen (US$ 43.9 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011. For more information visit http://www.MitsubishiElectric.com

*At an exchange rate of 83 yen to the US dollar, the rate given by the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on March 31, 2011