Spark of Innovation at Anotronic

Anotronic Ltd is a well-recognised subcontract machining business and manufacturer of high-quality EDM fast-hole drilling and EDM die-sinking machine tools. Founded in 1982, the Leighton Buzzard business started in ECM, ECD and EDM tooling and machining, evolving to the production and growth of its own ECM and ECD technology brand. Along this journey, the company has worked with Sodi-Tech UK and the Sodick brand of machines.

Martin White, Managing Director of Anotronic Ltd, says: “My father started the business in 1982, and I joined the company in 1985. We tend to machine a lot of difficult materials such as inconel, titanium, and special stainless steel, and everything is difficult to machine. We take on the worst jobs because we can – and we have all the machines and processes in-house to do what we need.”

Over the years, Anotronic has continually expanded its factory footprint, services, and range of machines. This has resulted from an aggressive growth strategy, staff development, and investment in the latest machine tool technology. The Bedfordshire manufacturer currently operates three Sodick machines, with the latest ALC600G Premium wire EDM with linear motor drive technology arriving recently.

The high-end plant list gives Anotronic the edge over its rivals, and the Sodick ALC600G Premium from Sodi-Tech UK, with its spacious X, Y and Z-axis of 600 by 400 by 500mm and the U X V-axis travel of 120 X 120mm, clearly gives the company an edge. Martin recalls how Anotronic arrived at the ALC600G: “We always buy premium machines, and as the company has become more experienced, we always look to buy better machines. This always comes down to reliability and the ability to run unmanned. We have a Sodick AQ35L die sink machine that we’ve had for a very long time, and Sodi-Tech UK has looked after this machine for us for over 20 years.”

The reliability and performance of the Sodick AQ35L meant that when Anotronic was in the market for another EDM machine, it once again turned to the Sodick brand. Martin recalls: “We bought a Sodick AG 600LH around seven years ago. That machine enables us to do tool work up to 500mm high, which we regularly do. We have a large bobbin on this machine, enabling us to run 70 to 80 hours unmanned.”

The remarkably high level of lights-out machining with the Sodick AG600LH and its incredible reliability persuaded Anotronic to invest in its latest EDM machine, the Sodick ALC600G Premium with linear motor drive technology. “We bought this latest machine because we had a project with a sister part. The project typically consists of 40 parts that would maybe take us three months to complete. We suddenly had an order placed on us last year for 300 parts. We couldn’t have done this without another machine, as we knew we would have had to have been machining 24 hours a day to get the parts done.”

Sodi-Tech UK Sales Manager Richard Bailey says: “Martin and Anotronic don’t just take on run-of-the-mill CNC jobs. This company tackles the higher end of the industry and often the parts that companies don’t want to tackle themselves. Anotronic looks at jobs from an application perspective rather than a ‘machining time’ point of view. With the Sodick technology and the special characteristics within the machine, Anotronic can utilise this to run all of its applications and do jobs that are unique and out of the norm. In this instance, the application that Martin has been working on requires some very steep table angles. The ALC600G Premium has very large U and V-axis travel, allowing the processing of tapered angles up to 45°. So, when it comes to machining this part, it can be done in situ with the integration of a fourth and fifth axis.”

“Manufacturers can also use the on-board technology and IQ software system that brings Anotronic’s model into the machine and draws the profile on-board utilising the U and V-axis cutting technology. The programme is generated, the parts machined, and the job is complete!”

Adding to this, Martin from Anotronic says: “We are using a very complex 4-axis programme to cut a rotary part with 45° slots in it. The only way we could do that was to use the software we currently use, and without it, we couldn’t manage to do the part. So, we used the on-board software within the CNC control of the Sodick machine to take control and create a 3D model and a tool path to cut the part. This is machining at extreme angles. We are cutting at 45° and machining up to 40 to 50mm in the U and V-axis to create this particular part. We also had to specify wide nozzles and wider guides to machine this part, and the ALC600G did a brilliant job.”

“I have been a Sodick user for 35 to 40 years, and the beauty of the Sodick machines is that you can jump straight into a point anywhere in the programme without editing the entire programme. It makes things very easy as it is a powerful and user-friendly software system. It has many benefits, such as the negative offsets – normally, you have to cut a comp on a machine, but with the Sodick, we can drive the comp the other way and cut the other side of the part using a negative value. Most control systems would just throw that out, whereas the Sodick accepts it and gets the job done.”

“I was working 15 to 20 hours daily, which was too much. I wasn’t seeing my kids growing up, and something had to change, so we went down the automation route. We have a great team that works very hard and helps us reach our common goal – we run a lot of machines with very few people through our application of automation. Sodick is a very established brand, and they have a great customer base and exceptional knowledge with engineers who are really, really good. I have known Peter at Sodi-Tech for over 35 years, and this relationship is based on our excellent support – it’s been a fantastic marriage between the two companies,” concludes Martin.