\ MAIER uses EDM for the manufacture of plastic injection moulds for cars

PLASTIC INJECTION MOULD FOR FRONT EXTERIOR CAR GRILLE

The cooperative MAIER is the European leader in the development and manufacture of textured automotive components for both the exterior and the interior, such as front grilles, handles, hubcaps, etc., and is supplier to the top nine car manufacturers in the world. MAIER develops and manufactures 100% of the moulds, all of them large-scale, as part of the process of obtaining the geometry and texture of the finished parts. The finish of the mould is directly related to the aesthetics of the finished piece. 80% of the form of the mould is machined by high-speed milling and 20% by EDM. According to Mr Javier Calvo (Director of the Die Management Unit at MAIER), “EDM will always be essential for the machining of slots, ribs and deep cavities. The improvements in the latest ONA models also lead to reduced machining times for work with difficult cleaning conditions, which increases accuracy and surface quality.”

MAIER has been manufacturing moulds since its inception and has accumulated 40 years of experience. The evolution that has taken place over recent years has been outstanding. Ten years ago for example, the mould for the front grille of a car involved five different groups of components and required 2,000 hours of work. Today, these types of mould are much more complex as they require 4,000 hours of work and are manufactured as a single piece. The way of using EDM has also changed, as Mr Javier Calvo explains, “We do not use large electrodes, but many small ones instead. The erosion work carried out on the mould for a front grille requires as many as 50 electrodes.”