NEWSROOM
CIE community invited to check out ABI’s new $200k Robocut wire-cut electrical discharge machine
8 April 2022
The Auckland Bioengineering Institute has purchased a shiny new toy – and they can’t wait to play with it!
The Fanuc Robocut is a wire-cut electrical discharge machine that allows for very fast and precise cutting, even at a small scale, which is perfect for rapid prototyping of parts. That makes it ideal for the ABI’s bioinstrumentation team.
It’s so precise because the machine cuts using an electrical current passing through a spool of fine wire as thin as a strand of hair. It can cut metal so precisely that two parts can fit together seamlessly, without any visible joins, and the final product ends up with an almost flawless surface finish.
But all this advanced tech comes at a cost, with a price tag of around $200,000.
The machine has been on the wishlist for ABI Professor Andrew Taberner and Technical Services Manager Stephen Olding for at least 10 years.
“As far as we know, it’s the only machine of its type in the country,” says Stephen. “It has a few upgrades compared to other machines of this type – including a rotary axis and taper cutting capability – which make it pretty unique. We can’t wait to get it up and running to see it in action.”
The ABI wants to share its new toy, so they installed it at Technical Services Workshop in Newmarket and are inviting anyone wanting to make use of it can enquire by first contacting Stephen Olding at the ABI.
8 April 2022
The Auckland Bioengineering Institute has purchased a shiny new toy – and they can’t wait to play with it!
The Fanuc Robocut is a wire-cut electrical discharge machine that allows for very fast and precise cutting, even at a small scale, which is perfect for rapid prototyping of parts. That makes it ideal for the ABI’s bioinstrumentation team.
It’s so precise because the machine cuts using an electrical current passing through a spool of fine wire as thin as a strand of hair. It can cut metal so precisely that two parts can fit together seamlessly, without any visible joins, and the final product ends up with an almost flawless surface finish.
But all this advanced tech comes at a cost, with a price tag of around $200,000.
The machine has been on the wishlist for ABI Professor Andrew Taberner and Technical Services Manager Stephen Olding for at least 10 years.
“As far as we know, it’s the only machine of its type in the country,” says Stephen. “It has a few upgrades compared to other machines of this type – including a rotary axis and taper cutting capability – which make it pretty unique. We can’t wait to get it up and running to see it in action.”
The ABI wants to share its new toy, so they installed it at Technical Services Workshop in Newmarket and are inviting anyone wanting to make use of it can enquire by first contacting Stephen Olding at the ABI.
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