Creation of Strategies

Strategies are similar to opelists but applicable for wire-cut EDM. They are a combination of operations:

• Multiple passes,

• Multiple shapes,

• Optimization for night and day jobs.

Working with strategies has several benefits:

Time-saving

Apply a strategy means only selecting the geometry you base the toolpath on.

Safety

Apply operations that have already been tested and validated

Saving of the user knowledge

Ability to create a library of customized strategies for the user. Any programmer of the company can use them even if they are not trained on the software, if people change in the company the knowledge is kept.

Technics of EDM

The strategies take into account the EDM operator job and wire EDM technical characteristics.

Threading points

Retract distance, slug value, and micro-slug value. Click here for more details about the threading point.

Types of toolpaths

Each operation must be defined with a type of toolpath; Partial cutting, reverse cutting, slug cutting, and others.

Convention of color: blue in the direction of the profile / red is reverse.

Strategy specific

• Repetition of operations, optimization settings, and cutting conditions within the strategy itself.

1/ Saving from an Existing Part:

• Select the desired operations from a previously machined part.

• Right-click and choose "Cutting Strategy >Export."

• This directly loads the strategy into the manager for customization.

• Add/modify the passes and strategies in the manager and the parameters.

• Validate to save the strategy.

2/ Creating from Scratch:

• Go to "Strategies > Create."

• Select the wire

• Manually add toolpaths and cutting passes and define parameters.

• Validate to save the strategy.

3/ Modifying an Existing Strategy:

• Go to "Strategies > Modify."

• Load an existing OPL file and make changes such as deleting, adding toolpaths, or modifying parameters.

• Validate to save and overwrite the existing strategy or rename it to another strategy.

The video on the right demonstrates the 3 methods.

Access the window by right-clicking on the strategy name in the manager and selecting Parameters.

Technology

The technologies available are based on the list of operations defined in the strategy. The most interesting parameter here is the repeat. This allows to generate repetitions of the operations in the strategy. For instance if 3 repeats are set, 3 operations can be selected and the number of repetitions defined.

See the video below with an explanation.

Optimization

The optimization is the sequencing of operations to optimize the presence of the operator and the time of machining. The parameters include the types of optimization; day job, night job etc, optimization of profiles and addition of stops after the machining steps.

The stops are normally use to allow the operator to stop the machine and inspect the part after a specific step.

Once you've created a strategy, a new tab Strategy appears besides the EDM tab.( The strategy tab should already be available if there are existing strategies)

The strategies created are saved in the folder Opelist: the architecture of the folders created in Opelist enables to define easily the menus in GO2cam.

Only 5 customized menus are possible; but the number of submenus is unlimited!

The strategy can be applied to a workpiece using the following methods:

• Strategy Tab: Use the menus created, to find and select the right strategy,

• Machining Tree: Right-click on Machining, then Import strategy which directly opens the folder opelist where the strategies are saved.

• Customized Menus: Create custom menus that load and apply specific strategies.