Things to look out for and avoid when buying a used wire EDM

[manta]

I looking to expand the capabilities of my shop by adding a wire EDM.
I don't have enough need for one to buy new but there's been a few times I've had to sub it out and I'm sure if I had one I'd find more use for one.
I've been looking at late 90's early 2000's machines, I have very little experience on a newer Fanuc wire EDM but that's it.

I'd like to gather and learn from others experience and knowledge and maybe even something others can use later as a sort of buyers guide.
so whats some things to watch out for, and some brands and models that I should watch out for good and bad.

some basic features I'm looking for in a machine are, auto wire threading, edge finding with the wire like being able to touch off in a hole to find center.
so far I've found a 1998 Sodick A325 and a few Fanucs of the same year and older

Thanks for your time
Chris

 

[???]

Things to look out for when buying a wire EDM.

1. It’s second hand and really old.

Lots of very expensive electronics to go wrong with no warranty. Read Marcus input regarding 2nd hand wire EDM’s.

 

[SteveEx30]

Everything is expensive, that's the way it is. Don't let people deter you from buying a used machine. I have a shop full of them.
Do your homework. Make a call to the manufacturer and ask if the machine is still supported, and if there is a maintenance fee to receive support and/or parts.

You're looking at machinery 30 years old, be smart. You should be fairly handy to tackle/troubleshoot repairs. Otherwise, you may be in over your head.

Good luck!

 

[implmex]

Hi manta:
This subject has been commented on extensively on this forum both by me and by many others.
If you start your search with the name "implmex" you will be able to find lots of excellent information from really experienced guys as the conversations went back and forth.
So I encourage you to start there.

Cheers

Marcus
www.implant-mechanix.com
www.vancouverwireedm.com

 

[bob]

Buying old EDM is a crap shoot at the best of time but NEVER even think about buying one that is not running.

 

[pb1]

That 1998 Sodick will have a 1990s NEC PC that is not IBM PC compatible. i.e. you need to find a bespoke floppy drive for one of their machines, or a floppy emulator. With any luck the PC died years ago and the company spent the $2k+ for a retrofit old-at-the-time 486 or 586 replacement.

 

[Skubeesnak]

One thing I found is the environment for a wire edm is almost as important as the machine choice. A super clean room away from oil mist and welding dust is essential. As well as temperature controlled. That's My 2 bits.

 

[precisionmetal]

I looking to expand the capabilities of my shop by adding a wire EDM.
I don't have enough need for one to buy new but there's been a few times I've had to sub it out and I'm sure if I had one I'd find more use for one.
I've been looking at late 90's early 2000's machines, I have very little experience on a newer Fanuc wire EDM but that's it.

I'd like to gather and learn from others experience and knowledge and maybe even something others can use later as a sort of buyers guide.
so whats some things to watch out for, and some brands and models that I should watch out for good and bad.


Thanks for your time
Chris

Chris,

To follow-up on Skubeesnak's comments above...

I got into the wire edm business in the early 2000's. I purchased a used Agie, but the first thing I did before even moving it into my shop was build an insulated, climate-controlled, carpeted room *within* my existing shop. The room contained the wire machine, almost all my measuring equipment, a small "dental" compressor (which is all the wire machine required for compressed air). Room temp was held to plus/minus 1 degree from 68, year around, and chilled air came in near the ceiling, and heated air came in down low to prevent stratification.. No high-powered lighting shining directly on the wire machine or the inspection tools. Additionally, I stored an extra 200 gallons of water in plastic barrels within that room to act has a heat sink. Oh, the room was carpeted as well, which kept it nice and quiet.

Extreme?... yes... quite probably, though I have lived by the approach that ... "anything worth doing is worth over-doing". haha!

Not only was it much easier to keep the machine and parts very clean within this separate room, but I picked up a surprising amount of work from other wire edm shops that simply did not want to mess with the super tight tolerance work.

If I had one single piece of advice for anyone getting into wire edm work, it would be: "Proactive Cleaning". The machine, the filters, the water tank, the parts... everything. Doing so will save time and money downstream.

PM

 

[Minutemanmachine]

I looking to expand the capabilities of my shop by adding a wire EDM.
I don't have enough need for one to buy new but there's been a few times I've had to sub it out and I'm sure if I had one I'd find more use for one.
I've been looking at late 90's early 2000's machines, I have very little experience on a newer Fanuc wire EDM but that's it.

I'd like to gather and learn from others experience and knowledge and maybe even something others can use later as a sort of buyers guide.
so whats some things to watch out for, and some brands and models that I should watch out for good and bad.

some basic features I'm looking for in a machine are, auto wire threading, edge finding with the wire like being able to touch off in a hole to find center.
so far I've found a 1998 Sodick A325 and a few Fanucs of the same year and older

Thanks for your time
Chris

Hi Chris
You may want to look at buying new. The prices they are putting out for used machines seems high . Sodicks are a great machine but hard to find a good used one they come with a 10 year positioning and accuracy guarantee and they’ve been doing that since 2000 so people are keeping them

Good luck
Mike

 

[Waakzaamheid]

Chris,

To follow-up on Skubeesnak's comments above...

I got into the wire edm business in the early 2000's. I purchased a used Agie, but the first thing I did before even moving it into my shop was build an insulated, climate-controlled, carpeted room *within* my existing shop. The room contained the wire machine, almost all my measuring equipment, a small "dental" compressor (which is all the wire machine required for compressed air). Room temp was held to plus/minus 1 degree from 68, year around, and chilled air came in near the ceiling, and heated air came in down low to prevent stratification.. No high-powered lighting shining directly on the wire machine or the inspection tools. Additionally, I stored an extra 200 gallons of water in plastic barrels within that room to act has a heat sink. Oh, the room was carpeted as well, which kept it nice and quiet.

Extreme?... yes... quite probably, though I have lived by the approach that ... "anything worth doing is worth over-doing". haha!

Not only was it much easier to keep the machine and parts very clean within this separate room, but I picked up a surprising amount of work from other wire edm shops that simply did not want to mess with the super tight tolerance work.

If I had one single piece of advice for anyone getting into wire edm work, it would be: "Proactive Cleaning". The machine, the filters, the water tank, the parts... everything. Doing so will save time and money downstream.

PM

To go to the other extreme, for 20 years I worked at a Wire EDM job shop. When I eventually left there were 18 wires.

These were all stuffed into a steel building with no climate control in New England. It would regularly get to 120 degrees in there. The only real maintenance we did was what I would call "reactive". Not how I would choose to run the place but I wasn't the boss. That being said, we would regularly hold +/-.0002 on our beat up old Chmers and Fanucs. And I certainly learned a lot.

Literally the Monday after I quit, they turned on the new air conditioning system.

 

[SteveEx30]

Literally the Monday after I quit, they turned on the new air conditioning system.

Geese hard not to take that personally eh lol !
Just kidding.. !

 

[Waakzaamheid]

Geese hard not to take that personally eh lol !
Just kidding.. !

It's possible, but the fact I was leaving that toxic place made up for it.

 

[SteveEx30]

It's possible, but the fact I was leaving that toxic place made up for it.

I can understand that!