Company Profile

For over 30 years Sodick has been manufacturing EDM machines that are the best in the world. As the industry leader, we are committed to the highest quality standards. For Sodick, this commitment does not stop at sales, but applies equally to providing advice and support in all the technical aspects of applications, training, customer and after-sales service. Consequently, we provide you with our services on all aspects of EDM machining quickly, and in a manner best suited to your individual needs, throughout the world.

Sodick offers an unparalleled complete programme covering all phases of production. This starts with high performance systems for programming during the development and production planning phases. In the next step, high speed machining centres facilitate electrode machining and hard-material milling. Our linear driven die-sinking and wire EDM machines as well as EDM fine-drilling tools ensure perfection down to the last detail. As a final step, mould and die surfaces can be polished to a mirror like shine with the world's first electron beam finishing machine, before being used to produce optimal components, perhaps using one of Sodick's injection moulding machines.

Sodick manufactures all of the key quality components for its high-tech machines in-house: including linear drives and ceramic components. This comprehensive competence down to the smallest detail offers our customers' uninterrupted perfection across all processing steps.

Combining Tradition, Technology and Quality has long been standard practice at Sodick and has seen the company prosper where others have failed. In 2012, Sodick passed the 31,000 linear machines produced.

Linear Motors

Sodick's linear motors have a considerably higher dynamic performance than ball screw drives. The table and the motor constitute one unit – without any intermediate components as with recirculating ball screws, belts, pulleys or gears. All Sodick's linear motors are developed and manufactured in-house. This has led to special arrangements of magnets, coils, and controllers to minimise, for example, cogging and torque ripple. This smooth drive system exhibits an exceptionally high dynamic responsiveness ideal for machine tools.

Multi Axis Capability

Sodick offers the possibility to fit additional axes as a factory option. Customers can choose from either Sodick's own developed Rotary Table as an additional single A or B axis or a JauchSchmider Rotary Table as multiple axes for indexing or simultaneous contouring.

K-SMC

All Sodick machines operate with the control technology Sodick Motion Control (SMC) developed specifically for the linear drives from Sodick. The external features include maximum and logical ease of use. The internal SMC functions on the basis of a 64-bit multifunctional open system. The SMC directly monitors and automatically readjusts the linear motors - without any of the delays previously caused by the gap detector.

Ceramics

Ceramic has an extremely limited thermal displacement, and is a material indispensable for super precision machining. Sodick has a range of technologies to manufacture high-rigidity ceramics machine structural parts and hydrostatic ceramics bearing that make high-precision positioning possible. Sodick's self-manufactured ceramics provide electrical insulation essential in handling materials for electrical machines, in addition to such characteristics as being hard, light, and resistant to heat and wear.

Saving Energy

Compared with conventional EDMs, the Sodick Die Sinker Range can reduce the average energy consumption by up to 60%. The newly developed power unit “LP" series efficiently supplies discharge energy and linear motor control current through the resistor free circuit. It has also become possible to save a great amount of total electric consumption as a result of a thorough review of peripheral devices.

Machine Components

The main components of Sodick's machines are glass scales from Heidenhain and SSR caged guideways from THK.

EDM Technology

Electrical Discharge Machining (or EDM) is a machining method used to machine any conductive materials including hard metals which are difficult to machine with traditional techniques. EDM can cut small or odd-shaped angles, intricate contours or cavities in pre-hardened steel without the need for heat treatment to soften and re-harden them.

Wire EDM technology

In wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), or wire-cut EDM, a thin single-strand metal wire is fed through the work piece, typically occurring while submerged in a tank of dielectric fluid. This process is used to cut plates and to make punches, tools, and dies from any conductive material, including hard metals, that are too difficult to machine with other methods.