First industrial EDM machine in the world

Jean Pfau and his team built in Geneva the ELERODA D1, the very first industrial EDM machine in the world, showcased in 1954 at the European machine tool exhibition in Milan. Agie was founded in April 1954 and made the AGIETRON AZ4 which had a pneumatic servomotor on the Z-axis.

Isopulse generator - Constant energy to the electrode

First generators were very simple, discharges were not homogenous. The Isopulse generator by Charmilles was a major improvement. The result is less electrode wear and higher surface quality. In 1963, Agie launched its first transistorized generator, Agietron BF.

First computerized numerical controlled EDM machine

The first wire-cutting EDM machines were only able to execute limited contours, following a mechanical template. The breakthrough came with the AGIE DEM 15, where contours were numerically controlled by a punched tape.

Invention of Charmilles Isocut - Electrode orbiting

In early die-sinking EDM machines several electrodes had to be prepared in advance, without knowing if they would have matched the gaps. Isocut electrode orbiting allowed compensating gaps, resulting in less electrodes and an improved flushing.

Introduction of coated wires

First coated wires for Wire-cutting EDM were patented by Charmilles in 1978, enabling higher cutting speed and precision in wire-cutting EDM. Complex wires allowed increasing the tension when cutting, and producing parts with micron-level precision.

Introduction of pivoting heads

Pivoting heads with double parallelograms for cylindrical and conical cut were introduced for Wire EDM, allowing for perfect flushing of the system.

Fuzzy logic controller - First usage of AI

The digital servo, controlling the distance between the electrode and the workpiece so as to have the perfect discharge gap, replaced the previously used analog circuits by reliable, precise and flexible control algorithms.

Quadrax - Construction with independent axis pairs

Charmilles invented a revolutionary construction concept of a portal bridge bearing two independent axis pairs. All axis movements are assigned to the carriages at the portal bridge. The machine is very compact and workpiece weight is not a problem anymore.

Agievision - New user interface

A new numerical control with new user interface came: the Agievision. The graphic user interface and object-oriented approach provided much more freedom in programming and usage of the machine.

Twin Wire - First automatic wire changer

The groundbreaking Automatic Wire Changer (AWC) automatically changes wire diameters during machining. Unique on the market, AWC makes it is possible to make the first cut with a big wire, and automatically change to a small wire.

Monoblock - High accuracy of small parts

The revolutionary Monoblock concept is characterized by the very short force path between wire and part and stiff castings and components.It allows for Wire-cutting of extreme accuracy and in micro-cutting of very tiny geometries, with finest wires.

Dynamic Corner Control

Dynamic Corner Control (DCC) corrects the path of the wire guides to prevent a geometrical error due to wire bending. The magnitude is computed-based on machining parameters and the direction is based on the contour geometry.

iGap - Adaptive voltage and spark control

Compared to conventional die-sinking, machines with the iGap feature have better spark control with lower amperage. This allows to machine faster with deeper material removal. Die-sink electrodes wear out slower and in a more regular way.

IPG - Intelligent Power Generator

The IPG contains fewer and smaller components and takes place directly behind the work tank. It permits faster spark control, as well as less sensitivity to variations in discharge circuit size. The internal cooling system provides high efficiency.

Real-time analysis of spark distribution on wire

AgieCharmilles’ Spark Track detects the spark's position along the wire, determining partial discharge currents flowing to the wire electrode through an upper- and a lower current feeding path. It controls the energy input and reduces wire consumption.

FORM eCAM - Software programming module

A stand-alone software programming module which uses CAD geometry to describe and simulate the machining process, FORM eCAM calculates the exact shape and volume to erode and optimizes the EDM program based on the geometric evolution.