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It may not be brand new, but the Robofil 2050 TW electrical-discharge machining system continues to turn heads. After a regional triumph in 2004, when it received the Micron d’Or at the Micronora show in Besançon, France, the machine was also singled out this year by the International Forum Design (iF). Based in Hannover, Germany, the institute sifted through more than 2000 entries from 37 countries. The Robofil from Charmilles (Geneva, Switzerland) made the final cut and received the iF’s Seal of Design Excellence for both its aesthetic appeal and its engineering excellence.
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With a 5.5 m2 footprint, the machine is the product of extensive component integration. To achieve the system’s small size and sleek, understated design, Charmilles partnered with design bureau Multiple S.A. (La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland), whose contribution also was recognized by the iF award.
Suitable for producing intricate medical instruments, dies, and moulds, the Robofil 2050 TW has an automated twin-wire system that uses large-diameter wire for aggressive cutting and small-diameter wire for precision work and finishing. The unit can accommodate wire ranging in size from 0.02 to 0.33 mm diam, and it can automatically switch between the two wires. The system’s digital CleanCut generator can attain a surface finish of Ra 0.05 µm, making it also suited for the production of dental implants and spinal fixation components that must be manufactured to tight tolerances.
The user interface is based on Windows XP and Charmilles’s proprietary Twin Wire software. The system also features submerged cutting capability and glass scales with a resolution of 0.05 µm. The 2050 TW is capable of machining parts up to 990 × 510 × 260 mm; a larger version of the machine, the 6050 TW, can handle workpieces up to 1260 × 610 × 360 mm.
