H i g h ­ Te c h M a n u f a c t u r i n g h e l p s P e o p l e t o h e a r b e t t e rThe Danish company Oticon designs and manufactureshearing solutions for adults and specialized paediatricinstruments. Founded in the year 1904 by the Danishentrepreneur Hans Demant, the company experienced aconstant growth over a whole century and meanwhileemploys more than 3,000 people. With an annualturnover of over 700 Million Euro, Oticon belongs to the3 largest providers for hearing aids worldwide. Peoplein more than 100 countries around the world areenjoying better hearing with Oticon solutions, in linewith the company's slogan: “PEOPLE FIRST”. Oticon´shearing solutions, like the new wireless Oticon Agil™product line, are complex High­Tech products featuringgroundbreaking audiological concepts. As theseproducts need to fit comfortably and effectively in ahuman ear, they need to be assembled of extremelysmall and particularly detailed parts.The manufacturing of these high­precison microparts parts requiresthe implementation of state­of­the­artmanufacturing technologies, likeMicromilling and WireEDM. TheWireEDM technology is used to cutmould components made fromhardened steel, where parts areparticulary difficult to mill. AsWireEDM is not affected by constantwear like traditional milling tools,WireEDM results are always exact,no matter how complex the job is.The main field for Oticon´s EDMapplication is the manufacturing ofmould inserts for micro injectionmoulding tools. Here, the highestfitting accuracy in the μm range withreliable repeatability is required.Oticon applies the WireEDMtechnology in two Danish sites, intheir R&D department inCopenhagen and in the productionfacility in Thisted. Copenhagen isusing Agie Vertex and AgieVisionChallenge EDM machines, whereasThisted is using Charmilles Robofil

290 Twin wire and Sodick EDMmachines. For the CNCProgramming of the various EDMmachines, Oticon decided in 2003 forFikus Visualcam, an easy­to­useshop floor programming softwarefrom the Spanish supplier MetalcamS.L.. Using a range of innovativetools, the Fikus WireEDM moduleproduces 2­ to 4­axis toolpathsquickly and accurately for all typesand ages of WireEDM machines.Fikus Visualcam is a native Windowsnative application, with dynamicOpenGL rendered graphics and auser interface with clear and conciseicons and toolboxes, making thelearning process easy. MeanwhileOticon is using 4 seats of FikusVisualcam, two in Copenhagen andtwo in the Thisted facility.The parts to be CNC programmedwith the Fikus WireEDM module arecreated by CimatronE, Oticon´ssystem for Mould design and Milling.After the part file has been importedfrom Cimatron E, the Fikus WirePath

Manager enables an easygeneration of wire procedures.These procedures are a combinationof geometric and technological datapresented in a logical tree, easy tocreate and edit at any stage in theprocess. The set of procedures maybe saved as a template and appliedto other geometries at a later stage.Due to its ease of use, the WireCutprogramming with Fikus Visualcamnormally takes no longer than 10minutes.

Application reportOctober 2010

Micromould part imported in FikusVisualcam for WireEDM Programming

www.metalcam.com

fikusvisual cam

Sometimes, the part geometryneeds to be modified “in themiddle” of the process. This canbe done easily within the Fikusenvironment: The Fikus CADmodule enables users to createand modify geometry efficientlyby using arcs and lines ratherthan nurbs.Due to its powerful templatetechnology, Fikus Visualcam cansupport the whole variety ofOticon´s WireEDM machinesefficiently, including the olderones. Customized tables foreach machine help to obtainaccurate G-codes and allow theuser to work in a familiarenvironment. The user canselect roughing or skimmingpasses, while the applicationsets the required parametersand automatically creates theappropiate toolpaths.

The Fikus support includes theAgiecut Vertex machine, thatworks with two wire spools fordifferent types of wire. Withoutperforming the troublesome taskof changing wire spools, Oticoncan e.g. carry out the full cutwith 0,2 mm wire and 3 trimcuts with 0,1 mm wire.Henry Frederiksen, Oticon´sCAM Administrator comments:“We need a WireEDMprogramming system that easilyintegrates in our existingCAD/CAM process chain andproduces efficient G-Code for allour different WireEDM machines.Fikus Visualcam quickly importsthe CAD files of CimatronE andgenerates precise and reliabletoolpaths for our microparts. Inaddition, it provides us withpowerful postprocessors thatenable our facilities inCopenhagen and Thisted to CNCprogram the whole variety ofEDM machines on the samesoftware platform.”

Fikus Visualcam has beensupplied to Oticon by NTICADcenter, one of the leadingManufacturing solution providersin Scandinavia. NTICAD centerhas a long term relationship withOticon, supplying them alsoCimatronE, a CAD/CAM systemfor moldmakers. Overall, FikusVisualcam reduces Oticon´sprogramming time and finallyimproves the machiningcapabilities of the WireEDMmachines. This helps Oticon´stool and mould makingdepartment to supply mouldsjust-in-time and thus ultimatelycontributes to Oticon´s target,to supply the best hearing aidsolutions worldwide.

Metalcam and Fikus Visualcam are registered trademarks of Metalcam S.L. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respectiveholders. Metalcam S.L. is not necessarily associated with any other products or vendors mentioned herein. This document is for informationalpurposes only and is subject to change. © Metalcam S.L. 2010. All rights reserved.

Contour of the mould insert to be WireCutwith Fikus Visualcam

Simulation of the WireEDM process withFikus Visualcam

Henry Frederiksen, Oticon´s CAMAdministrator, is not only fast in CNCProgramming, but also in running...

About NTI CADcenterWith more than 120 employees, NTICADcenter sells and supportsmanufacturing solutions all overScandinavia. Headquartered inCopenhagen (Denmark), the companyoffers “Best in class” solutions formoldmakers, including customizedpostprocessors for all purposes. NTICADcenter provides opportunities to doreal digital prototyping and efficientmanufacturing.

About MetalcamMetalcam, the Spanish developer of FikusVisualcam, is constantly investing in theresearch and development of innovativeproducts. The result are software solutions,that are easy­to­use and maximize theproductivity in manufacturing. Metalcam´ssuccess is based on its long termexperience in manufacturing applicationsand the close technological partnershipwith customers and machine tool supplierslike AgieCharmilles.

Application report Oticon, October 2010