12 great gadgets and die components

Photo 1 courtesy of Champion Tools, St. Charles, Mo.
Photo 2 courtesy of Hutchison Tool Sales Co., Bensenville, Ill.
Photo 3 courtesy of Welker Engineered Products, Troy, Mich

“It’s the small things that … (insert your own ending here).” When it comes to uptime, sometimes it’s the small items that can make your workday easier. Following are many small devices that you may find helpful. Some of these are incremental improvements to standard die components; others are special gadgets that simply smooth the stamping process to extend uptime.

1 Punching, Bending Tapping Tools

With Steinel’s S-Former E and S-Former Z tapping units, toolmakers can create threads directly into their punching and bending tools. The device can be obtained as a mechanical device or powered by an AC servo drive. The Steinel high-speed clamping system allows the roll tap in the tool to be replaced in a few steps. The old tap can be removed with a press of the finger.

Integrating these processes is intended to reduce the costs of tapping in a secondary operation and to improve part quality and process reliability, according to the tools’ distributor, Champion Tools, St. Charles, Mo. The integrated process enhances stability and tensile resistance of the formed threads because the grain structure of the metal is uninterrupted. It also reduces burrs and facilitates assembly.

The intelligent control unit with constant process monitoring of the S-Former E ensures nearly 100 percent process safety and, therefore, is suitable for the defect-free production of safety-relevant parts.

2 Horizontal In-die Tapping Heads

Hutchison Tool Sales’ HTS 6300 tapping head horizontally taps preformed parts in-press. These units are designed for parts that cannot be tapped in the flat because of critical hole locations or concerns about hole distortion, the Bensenville, Ill., company said.

Tapping the parts inline eliminates costly secondary tapping operations. 

3 Autoindexing Dimplers

Typically, lubricated blanks adhere to each other. Large parts with many features or deep-drawn areas can be particularly challenging. Autoindexing dimplers prevent sheet metal blanks from sticking together in stamping operations by producing small dimples in the trim edge that automatically index with the action of the press, according to Welker Engineered Products, Troy, Mich.

The autoindexing dimpler provides a seven-position mechanical rotary index that installs a two-dimple pattern in stamped parts. It operates in concert with press action. As the press closes the die, the dimpler bottoms out, creating dimples. As the die opens, the dimpler extends from its dimpling position and rotates to the next position so that the dimples in each part are in a different location. That maintains a small air gap between stamped parts. (See a video of the device in action at www.thefabricator.com/video/welker-auto-indexing-dimpler.com)

Dimples also prevent double blanking and can level out the fanning effect that occurs in tailor welded blank stacks.

The company says the dimpling process works with all metal stampings but is particularly effective with aluminum, which does not have a magnetic pull and so cannot be separated with magnetic separation devices.

Photo 4 courtesy of Champion Tools, St. Charles, Mo.
Photo 5 courtesy of Industrial Magnetics Inc., Boyne City, Mich.
Photo 6 courtesy of Agathon Machine Tools, Bethel, Conn.

4 Roller Cages

These STEINEL^® cages are designed with cylindrical rollers instead of ball bearings. The shape of the formed rollers and their arrangement within the roller cage increase the surface area that touches the guidepost.

The larger surface area increases durability.

The guideways are designed to carry a high load and stiffness through the low surface pressure during rolling movement. Because the guideways are not damaged by the line contact with the rolling members, service life is lengthened, according to U.S. distributor Champion Tools, St. Charles, Mo.

5 Low-profile Magnets

The Transporter^® magnets for end-of-arm tooling are intended to increase line speeds and reduce downtime by transferring metal blanks, stampings, and parts as large as body panels and refrigerator door panels magnetically, according to Industrial Magnetics Inc., Boyne City, Mich.

They are most often used in automated station-to-station, press-to-press transfer and robotic pick-and-place systems. The rare-earth magnets positively hold parts during transfer. Only a short burst of shop air pressure is applied to release parts. They use less shop air than vacuum cups and are effective with oily parts, the company states.

6 Small, Round, Fine Centering System

The centering system was originally designed for use in the moldmaking industry, but has found its way into metal stamping, according to Agathon Machine Tools Inc., Bethel, Conn. It is designed with a preloaded roller guide that is free of play. The preloaded condition allows precise, consistent centering.

The system positions and locks two plates together without the need for lubricants. This is especially useful for disassembling and reassembling die plates for routine maintenance or repairs. The rollers allow the toolmaker to simply lift the plate out of the tool. There is no need to guide the plate up and off of the guide pins, as is typically done, saving time. When aligned, the plate quickly drops back into place at the exact center as it was before being disassembled.

7 Shock Dampers

These may be one of the best-kept secrets of the metal stamping industry, according to W-Technologies Inc., Mount Carmel, Ill. Shock dampers are engineered to extend the life of the press and dies as well as reduce noise and vibration.

During blanking operations, presses and dies are subjected to severe loads at breakthrough. This reverse load, or breakthrough force, prematurely wears dies and damages the bearings, seals, and gibways. Loose air and hydraulic lines, electrical problems, press foundation instability, and extremely high levels of noise during blanking are indications that the shock and vibration are causing problems and need shock dampers to soften the blow from the blanking operation’s reverse load.

Essentially, the dampers are a set of oil-filled cylinders beneath the ram. The cylinders are engineered to contact the ram or slide just before the punch contacts the material. The oil in the cylinders is forced through a hole designed to limit ram speed to normal velocity while providing little additional force on the press drive. This provides a counterpressure force that dampens the rapid and damaging acceleration and deceleration that occur at the moment of part breakthrough.

Photo 7 courtesy of W-Technologies Inc., Mount Carmel, Ill.
Photo 8 courtesy of Wilson Tool International, White Bear Lake, Minn.
Photo 9 courtesy of Wilson Tool International, White Bear Lake, Minn.

The dampers are as small as 41⁄2 by 73⁄4 by 7 ¼ in. Despite their small size, each unit can absorb up to 12 tons of reverse tonnage load.

8 Slug Retention Dies

The Slug Hugger^® 2 and 4L dies help eliminate scrapped parts, costly downtime, and possible press and tooling damage caused by slug pulling. Wilson Tool International, White Bear Lake, Minn., offers taper relief, counterbore relief, and headed or headless slug retention dies to accommodate various die configurations to eliminate slug pulling.

The dies can be used for most material types and thicknesses, including aluminum and stainless steel.

9 Retainer Inserts

Wilson Tool’s HP Accu-Lock^® retainer inserts are a do-it-yourself option. Stampers can create, modify, and reuse special retainers on-site and on demand.

The retainer inserts simplify the use of special retainers by eliminating the need for complicated jigs, inspection fixtures, and specialized knowledge to machine ball holes into the punch plate. In fact, the inserts eliminate the ball hole. Punches are held securely in place with a straight-line machined hole that can easily be created in-house, says the company. They are compatible with all ball lock punches.

10 In-die Bushing ssembly Tooling

J-Tech’s bushing assembly tooling facilitates the installation of NORGLIDE^® bushings into a progressive or transfer die. The bushings can be installed top down, bottom up, or via cam action.

The tool can be used to install pierce and clinch nuts, pierce and clinch studs, and locator pins.

11 Ceramic-coated Transfer Clamps

PHD®’s ceramic-coated GRM pneumatic sheet metal transfer clamps are suitable for hot-forming applications. They are equipped with high-temperature seals and lube rated to 392 degrees F (200 degrees C) for sheets that are too hot to handle. The adjustable rotation stop allows for multiple jaw openings in one clamp.

12 Universal Cams

The LamCam™ aerial and die-mount universal cams from Dayton Lamina Corp., Dayton, are suitable for nearly all applications, from low-volume/light-duty to high-volume/heavy-duty. Features include single or double wear plates, mechanical or nitrogen spring return, and V-guidance for precision guiding.

They have a common footprint with other major manufacturers’ cams for interchangeability.

Photo 10 courtesy of J-Tech, Ingersoll, Ont., Canada.
Photo 11 courtesy of PHD Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Photo 12 courtesy of Dayton Lamina Corp., Dayton.

Agathon USA, www.agathon.ch/en/agathon/

subsidiaries/agathon-USA.asp

Champion Tools, www.champion-dietool.com

Dayton Lamina, www.daytonlamina.com

Hutchison Tool Sales Co., www.hutchisontool.com

Industrial Magnetics Inc., www.magnetics.com

J-Tech, www.j-techdesign.com

PHD Inc., www.phdinc.com

Welker Engineered Products, www.welkerproducts.com

Wilson Tool International Inc., www.wilsontool.com

W-Technologies Inc., www.w-tech.biz