What capacity and dimensions can you cut?
Our machines have a cutting capacity of 450 x 320 mm; the workpiece must not exceed 1070 x 725 mm in size.
The maximum height of the workpiece must not exceed 320 mm.
What size of thread do you use?
We commonly use wire of Ø0.25, Ø0.15, Ø0.10 and Ø0.07.
It should be noted that for watchmaking applications – specifically for manufacturing watch movement components – we mainly require Ø0.1 wire and, occasionally, Ø0.07 wire.
We also have experience of using much finer wire, such as Ø0.05, Ø0.03 and Ø0.02.
What type of thread do you use?
We routinely use Ø0.25 wires – coated copper and brass wires – for the most standard cut-outs.
Where a fine surface finish is required, or for wires with diameters smaller than 0.25, we use zinc-coated brass wires.
We also stock tungsten and molybdenum wires for parts where absolutely no zinc contamination is permitted.
More ‘unconventional’ wires may be used for very specific applications.
What cutting dimensions can you handle?
We are able to produce microcomponents weighing less than 0.001 grammes.
It should be noted that parts smaller than a 0.1 x 0.1 x 0.1 mm cube are no longer visible to the naked eye; in other words, if you had 100 such parts stuck to your fingertip, you would not be able to see them.
We are able to achieve a surface roughness (Ra) of 0.15 minimum after cutting and an Ra of 0.02 after polishing (allow for an additional thickness of 2.5 microns).
What types of parts can you produce, and in what quantities?
We work on both parts that have already been machined and complete assemblies.
The majority of the parts we machine are customer parts that are already at an advanced stage of machining, and we cannot afford to make any mistakes. We can also provide support to your subcontractors should the machining prove too complex for them.
We produce parts ranging from single units to production runs, which may require our machines to operate 24 hours a day for several months.
What machinery do you have?
We have five wire-cut machines, all manufactured by ‘Charmilles Technologies’.
We have two Robofil 4030 SI-TW machines and two Robofil 2030 SI-TW machines (TW = dual-wire), which allows us, where necessary, to rough-machine using a large-diameter wire and to finish the work using a smaller-diameter wire.
We also have one Robofil 2030 SI, which is the twin of the TW models but does not feature dual-wire technology.
All these machines have exactly the same programming and the same electronic control boards, which is important because, in the event of a breakdown, we can instantly switch production from one machine to another and thus meet our deadlines.
