A production assistance system which generates steps for producing a product on the basis of an order including information which should specify the product to be produced, a quantity or count by which the product is to be produced, and a due date by which the production is to be completed is provided with an input unit for inputting the order; a schedule computation unit for generating, on the basis of the order input by the input unit, a schedule including information relating to a plurality of operation machines required to produce a product specified by the order, steps assigned to the respective operation machines, and a time required to execute each of the steps; a step division information providing unit for dividing the steps of the generated schedule into a plurality of tasks as information which can be interpreted and executed by the operation machines; and a step instruction unit for outputting instructions to the operation machines on the basis of the tasks from the step division information providing unit.

A method for generating cavity model applied for machining a part by electrode discharge machine (EDM) using a tool electrode comprising: a. generating a part-before EDM model defining the geometry of a part to be eroded by the EDM machine to obtain a final part; b. generating an electrode model defining the geometry of the electrode applied for eroding the part; c. computing a cavity model defining the geometrical shape of a cavity, which represent the volume of the material to be eroded by the erode based on the part-before EDM model and the electrode model.

An online prediction method of tool-electrode consumption adapted for an electrical discharge machining (EDM) apparatus includes an experimental design; extracting electrode consumption variables from machining parameters of the electrical discharge machining (EDM) apparatus; and obtaining a correlation between the machining parameters and the electrode consumption variables through a correlation analysis to obtain a prediction model capable of predicting an effective contact area of a tool-electrode and a workpiece. In addition, a prediction method of machining accuracy is provided.

Methods and systems for wire-electro discharge machining of components are described. The method comprises machining a first component by moving a wire-EDM electrode along a first set of cutting paths associated with a plurality of cutting passes, the cutting paths determined based on a desired profile shape of the component, obtaining a cutting parameter of the first component post-machining, determining a first modified cutting path for a second component based on the cutting parameter, and machining the second component by moving the wire-EDM electrode along a second set of cutting paths associated with the plurality of cutting passes, the second set of cutting paths comprising the first modified cutting path.

A wire electrical discharge machine performs electrical discharge machining on a workpiece by applying voltage across an electrode gap formed between a wire electrode and the workpiece to thereby generate electrical discharge while moving the wire electrode relative to the workpiece along a path specified by a machining program. The wire electrical discharge machine includes: a voltage detector for detecting a gap voltage across the gap; a facing area calculation unit for calculating, as a facing area, the area of a surface of the workpiece contained within a predetermined distance from the center axis of the wire electrode; an axis feed rate determination unit for determining an axis feed rate based on the gap voltage value detected by the voltage detector, and the facing area; and a movement control unit for performing control so that the wire electrode moves relative to the workpiece at the axis feed rate.

A wire electrical discharge machine which performs electrical discharge machining on a workpiece, includes: a worktable on which the workpiece is placed; a placement area detector that divides the top surface of the worktable into multiple areas and detects the areas where the workpiece is placed; a placement time measuring unit that measures placement time for which the workpiece is placed on each of the areas detected by the placement area detector; and a cumulative time storage that adds up the placement times measured by the placement time measuring unit for each of the areas as a cumulative time for the area.

A multi-wire electric discharge machine includes: a plurality of cutting wire sections arranged in parallel in such a way as to face a workpiece, a wire electrode being wound around guide rollers to form the cutting wire sections; a drive unit that adjusts relative distances between the workpiece and the cutting wire sections; a machining power supply that applies pulse voltages between the workpiece and the cutting wire sections; a machining-state detection device that detects machining states in the cutting wire sections; and a machining control device that controls the drive unit and the machining power supply, in which when values indicating the machining states exceed a threshold value, the machining control device outputs, to the machining power supply, commands to apply the pulse voltages according to a machining condition for avoiding breakage of the wire electrode.

A method for controlling a wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process, in which the wire traveling speed V.sub.W is adapted in-process, while cutting. The method includes, determining the size of the crater occurring at each said determined position of each discharge along the engagement line of a wire and a work piece, and the current wire traveling speed; and continuously comparing the wire wearing model with one or more wire wearing limits, and adjusting the wire traveling speed according to the comparison of the actual wire wearing model and the one or more wire wearing limits. The wire electrical discharge machining process is conducted with reduced wire consumption, safely, efficiently and profitably.

A control device, includes: a modification instruction receiving unit for receiving modification instructions for a control parameter and for machining program; a history storage unit for causing a storage unit to store a modification history for the control parameter and the machining program; an Undo/Redo processing unit for performing an Undo/Redo process based on the modification history; a determination unit for determining whether a prescribed condition has been met; and a history deletion control unit for deleting the change history stored in the storage unit when the determination unit has determined that the prescribed condition has been met.

A wire electrical discharge machine includes: a drive controller configured to periodically apply voltage pulses between a workpiece and a wire electrode while relatively moving the wire electrode relative to the workpiece according to a machining program and a machining condition; a code analyzer configured to analyze the presence or absence of a condition change code for changing the machining condition in the machining program; and a condition changer configured to change the machining condition in accordance with a ratio indicated in the condition change code when the condition change code is present.