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Help with Brother HS-300 EDM

machineit2

Hot Rolled
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Location
Tennessee
Need a little help from the gang here. I have been using a Brother HS-300 for years. No formal training, just trial and error. I mostly do stainless steel in 304 and 303. Most of the time it is a .01" slot anywhere from .4 to 1.1" deep. Height of the material varies from 1.8" to 2.75" tall. Using .008" hard brass wire.

Every once in a while I can fire it up and cut my slots with little trouble, but sometimes I struggle with wire breakage for a while before it starts running smoothly.

What I would like to know is what conditions you would set for these parts. Right now running 303 SS part that is 2.75" tall and the slot is 1.105" deep. I would like to know what conditions you would set for that part. Not worried about finish or anything, it is just a blade that passes through it. Please let me know what you would set it at. Maybe the HS-50 would be the same, I'm not sure though.

Thanks in advance.

1. SPEED
2. SPARK CYCLE
3. SPARK ENERGY
4. WIRE SPEED
5. WIRE TENSION
6. WATER CONDITION
7. SPARK RATE
 
Hi Machineit2:
Sadly, the parameters you're asking for don't translate well from one machine maker to another, so my numbers will be meaningless gibberish to your machine.

For example. on my machine I can set SPEED from 1 to 50.
That's not 1 mm per minute to 50 mm per minute...it's just that 50 is faster than 1.
My control knows what to do with an input expressed that way but yours will not.

Ditto for all the other parameters...a flushing pressure of "7" means something specific on my control...it's meaningless wank on yours.

So you need to find the burn tables for your machine model.
Start inquiring specifically for them and you will be able to get there once you find them.

Although my machine has all the parameters resident on the control it also has burn tables that came as a printed book included with the machine.
If yours has nothing resident in the control...those printed tables are what you're looking for.
I have no idea if those tables are the same for various Brother models.

Our resident Brother expert is a contributor named "Seymour Dumore"...he has helped a lot of Brother posters in the past and maybe he'll be willing to help you too.

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining
 
OK, so I don't know what cutting parameters the HS-300 has as I only run the HS-3100 and 50A, but here is a cut/paste from a program that makes a VERY!!! interrupted cut through 2.95" of Inco625.

(FEED RATE .05000 )
(SPRK CYCL 13.0 )
(SPRK ENGY 12 )
(WIRE SPEED 12 )
(WIRE TENS 14 )
(GAP VOLTG 40 )
(WATR COND 3 )
(SPED LIMT .06500)
(OFFSET .00713)
(MATERIAL 3 )
(THICKNESS 3.6 )
(STABILIZR 2 )
(CORNR SPD 100 )
(BLOCK SPD 100 )
(S-CONT ON )
(T-CONT ON )

Some are self explanatory and appears to be the same between the 300 and the newer 3100 or the even newer 50A

STABILIZER: is a Brother specific setting that modifies the spark by some internal "magic" sauce. It has an option of 1, 2 or 3. I've always had it at 2 and never messed with it.
Somehow the cuts either became erratic or insanely slow.

BLOCK SPEED: is defined in precentage of cutting speed. Basically if the machine wants to cut by it's "sensed-speed" ( will explain later ), such speed will be reduced
by the amount set in this field. IOW if the machine wants to cut @ .2IPM and this setting is 50, then it will cut @ .1IPM. If set to 75, then it will cut @ .15IPM
If you have BS wirebreaks, you may play with this to see if forcing it to a speed reduction helps.

CORNER SPEED: Same as above, except it only applies to corners and becomes active a certain distance before a corner and deactivates a certain distance after.
It isn't used particularly for wire breaks, rather to eliminate or reduce corner blunting.

S-ON: Automatic speed control. Based on the gap condition, the machine will increase/decrease the cutting speed to a "sensed-speed" to either make the cut more efficient or to reduce wirebreaks.
In this case the FEED RATE parameter has little effect, rather the machine will control the speed from 0 up-to the value set in SPEED LIMIT
If it's set to OFF, the machine will cut with the speed set in FEED RATE, no variation. Basically for skim cuts.

T-ON: Thickness control. It applies an extra level of protection when cutting parts where thickness varies ( cross holes, different heights etc ) by increasing sensitivity and reducing the overall speed
to better respond to variations in gap condition.
If it's set to OFF and S-ON is set to ON, you gain speed but reduce the machine's ability to quickly respond to gap changes.
 
Hi. I have cutting technology list for my Brother HS-70Am . I hope this helps you
t40.jpg
t50.jpg
t60.jpg
t70.jpg
 
Well, I dug out a manual called "Technical Manual for Service Engineer HS-300." When I got the machine eight years ago it did not make any sense to me. Now I look at it and it makes sense. It lays out all the conditions based on material and thickness. Turns out I was off on two setting by one number, wire tension and wire speed. It is a slow machine, taking about 45 minutes to put that 1.1" deep slot in that 2.75 thick material, but it works just fine. I

I'll post the pages from the manual if I can.

Thanks all.
 

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Hi again machineit2:
You wrote:
" It is a slow machine, taking about 45 minutes to put that 1.1" deep slot in that 2.75 thick material, but it works just fine."

4.03 square inches per hour in 3" material with 0.008" wire for a machine of that vintage is not that bad.
Watching a wire cut is ALWAYS like watching paint dry.
I'd be happy.:cheers:

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining

BTW: If you want it to go faster, one of the things you can do that often helps, is to change the power contacts and the discharge cables, put in new filters and DI resin and wash out the DI system and re-fill it.
And while you're at it, clean the conductivity probe in the DI tank and make sure the chiller works properly.

MC
 
I am happy with it. Bought 8 years ago for $6,500 and it has much more than paid for itself, plus gives me options I would not have.

Made a video of it running many years ago, if you want to see it: YouTube

Thanks---Mike
 








 
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