EDM Takes the Hop from the Hip to the Shuttle and Beyond

EDM Takes the Hop from the Hip to the Shuttle and Beyond

When you've got customers clamoring for widely diverse parts, anything from intricate human hip and knee joint elements to critical NASA shuttle flight hardware and Hubble space telescope components, you've got to be ready for just about anything at a moment's notice. You've also got to be capable of incredible precision and accuracy, often under mind-boggling deadlines.

"It's always a challenge," said Chad Falciani, president of Falciani Machine, "and it seems like we're always working on jobs that have direct human life and safety consequences. So our precision and accuracy standards have to be a lot higher than most."

Chad realized, right from the start, that wire EDM machines were going to have to be a critical part of his business. His previous experience in the aircraft, aerospace, medical and government defense piece part industries taught him how important EDM machines were to successfully meeting the challenges of custom, highly demanding parts. "The parts we refer to are the impossible or can't-be-built ones," he said.

Mr. Falciani wanted to be sure to select the best wire EDM machine for his application. He chose the Mitsubishi FA20 for what he described as, "..."its clear superiority in performance, ease of maintenance and extremely user-friendly operation allows it to have a quick return on investment."

"Several advantages about the Mitsubishi EDM machines were very apparent," he said. "For example, Mitsubishi's Windows based, 64-bit display screens and dropdown menus and easy-to-learn control allows for "error-free" operation of the EDM machine." He was also impressed by the fact that its wire element traveled inside a telescopic tube on a water jet, all along the lower arm. That seemed much more efficient to him than the roller guide set-ups other models featured.

Mitsubishi also claimed superiority in resin handling. Its free-standing double canister filtration system keeps iron particles out to prolong life and filters, and when they do have to be changed, it takes small amount of the time. This keeps maintenance costs down long-term.

"I get calls from customers for tolerance specs you wouldn't believe," he said, "tiny, very complicated configurations with zero tolerance, we-need-it-yesterday-and-we-need-it-perfect mentalities... often from materials like Titanium which is so expensive you can't even waste a milligram of it without effecting profits. I've also got to be able to produce extremely fine finishes and corners, finer than most considering where they're going to be used. And a lot of the parts that were made from castings and forgings in the past now can only be machined from solid blocks of material. Those are the kinds of unconventional challenges we thrive on and excel at."

"Only the Mitsubishi gave me the confidence to be able to handle those kinds of demands on a regular, day-to-day basis. And, as an investment, it couldn't be beat either. Nobody else had features that allowed me to work as fast or efficiently. Resin maintenance alone saves me many valuable hours every week... sometimes even a day. My downtime is really negligible."

"The Mitsubishi EDM machine has been a tremendous additional piece of equipment to our shop and our offerings in capabilities. Having been able to add such a reliable and accurate EDM, like the Mitsubishi, has helped to increase our profits by allowing us to accept complex work other shops can't complete."

Falciani Machine is a complete precision manufacturing company located in Huntsville, AL, just outside the Marshall Space Flight Center. Falciani Machine provides precision-machined parts for the military/defense, aerospace, aircraft, medical and commercial industries.

For more information contact:

Chad Falciani

President

Justin Roepe

VP of Sales & Marketing

Falciani Machine, Inc.

117 Jetplex Circle, Suite C7

Madison, AL 35758

256-461-0900

www.falcianimachine.com

E-mail: info@falcianimachine.com

Bill Isaac