Article
June 8, 2004
Spraying it right
For coil-fed applications, spray cabinets can be mounted to the feeder to accommodate passline changes. Most stampers understand the need for lubricants, but many apply as little as possible so they don't have to deal with the mess. Others take an opposite approach and flood the tool... Read more...
Article
February 12, 2004
Selecting a stamping die pressure system, Part II
Selecting a stamping die's pressure system can be a critical decision. Many questions must be answered to determine what type of pressure system best suits your application. This article is Part II of a two-part series that focuses on the different systems available, as well as the advantages... Read more...
Article
January 29, 2004
Article
January 13, 2004
Troubleshooting compression bending
Most compression bending problems are one of three types: Flattening or collapsing on the outside of the bend. Crimping or wrinkling on the inside of the bend. Dimpling on the inside of bend. Generally you can prevent these problems by implementing these standard solutions:... Read more...
Article
January 13, 2004
Appliancemaker reduces downtime with stamping press feed system
Most of the parts are stamped out of light-gauge metals. "On the majority of our machines, we're feeding 0.0040 inch and less," said Dan Partin, senior process engineer at Whirlpool. Partin reported that the company had noticed excessive downtime on some of its key presses that were running for... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2003
Selecting a stamping die pressure system, Part I
Selecting the stamping die's pressure system can be a critical decision. Many questions must be answered to determine what type of pressure system best suits your application. Controlling Factors 1. Pressure requirements Simple conventional metal cutting dies, such as those used in blanking... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2003
Filling in the blanks
Because of sluggish economies and uncertain markets, the need to hone a competitive edge is more sharply defined. Many stampers are doing this by taking control of their material inventory and production schedules by adding a cut-to-length blank shearing line. An in-house blank... Read more...
Article
August 14, 2003
Selecting the right abrasives for your operation
The Nitty Gritty For each weld configuration and material there is an abrasive wheel that ensures optimal grinding results. The first step in determining the right wheel for the job is to identify the material being welded. Most abrasives manufacturers offer wheels made of three... Read more...
Article
June 26, 2003
Tooling tricks of the trade
Just make it work!" they scream. "I don't care how Just make it work!" As a tooling professional (whether you are a tool- and diemaker, engineer, press operator, or any other member of the team responsible for operating and maintaining that die), you quickly find that "making it work" is... Read more...
Article
June 26, 2003
Press brakes: the quest for a happy ending
Cast: Press brake manufacturers and users. Genre: Suspense/Drama/Horror. Plot: Our hero, Press Brake Professional, fights a life-and-death struggle with the forces of Foreign Competition and his nefarious gang of cohorts—Tiny Orders, Slow Economy, and Skilled Labor Shortage. With... Read more...
Article
June 26, 2003
The little-known life of the scarfing tool
Just kidding, but I'm sure you get my point. Scarfing tools are pretty boring compared to the greater issues we face since 9/11. I pray for world peace right there with anybody who will listen. But then again, I've been asked many times why tools don't last or why they break after only a short... Read more...
Article
June 26, 2003
Selecting a table for abrasive jet machining
Editor's Note: This article is the third in a series intended to help a prospective user evaluate abrasive jet machinery. The first article, Buying an abrasive jet machine , compared the abrasive jet process with other cutting processes. The second article, Software for abrasive waterjet... Read more...
Article
June 26, 2003
Managers are not necessarily leaders
There are business leaders and there are business managers. And while some leaders are managers and some managers are leaders, many times leaders and managers are very different animals. All too often we fail to recognize these differences in our businesses' day-to-day operations.
Many U.S.... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Article
May 29, 2003
Batter up! Turning an aluminum tube into a baseball bat
Although wooden bats still are the only type used in professional baseball, aluminum bats are used extensively in nonprofessional baseball and softball leagues. In fact, nearly 95 percent of all baseball bats used in the U.S. are made of aluminum. Hillerich & Bradsby Co. (H&B),... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Roll form tooling tryout and troubleshooting
The secret to developing successful roll tooling—whether for tube production or roll forming—and achieving maximum roll integrity is a simple but often overlooked notion: a comprehensive approach. Such an approach comprises five steps: Designing the roll tooling... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Spinning your wheels?
Grinding wheels, rocks, stones—what's the difference? Grinding wheels used in welding and fabrication are strong, tough tools, but many in the industry have called them "rocks" or "stones," implying that they're unbreakable. This myth, or misconception, has led people to become... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Art From the Forge
It's been happening gradually over the past 25 years, but in the past four or five years, art from the forge is finding outlets in fine art and sculpture galleries, as public art and even jewelry. These motifs, techniques, designs, and objects are heading ironwork in new directions. Much of it... Read more...
Article
May 15, 2003
Reviving the past
When he looked at the outside of his building, Bellingham, Wash., YMCA Director Dave Harding realized he faced a challenge. The original Bellingham, Wash., YMCA building. The YMCA's main downtown facility was located in an early-1900s, four-story building. In recent years the interior... Read more...
Article
April 24, 2003
Cutting exotic alloys
But sometimes this common process can be puzzling, especially when the fabricator is cutting titanium or other alloys. Tubing may be cut successfully in one production application, but the next time the result is galling and extremely short blade life. If an operator understands why this... Read more...
Article
April 10, 2003
Slash maintenance inventory costs
Typically, managers hesitate to initiate a cost-cutting project in this area because they fear that critical parts may not be available when they are needed. And the number of parts that can be reduced—typically one or two—may seem too few to yield meaningful cost savings. In fact,... Read more...
Article
November 15, 2002
Equipping Your Press With the Right Tonnage Monitor
Tonnage monitoring equipment has been around for several decades. The early models were sometimes finicky, hard to use, and susceptible to outside electrical interference. Today's tonnage monitors are easier to install, simpler to use, and more reliable. Many types are available to meet the... Read more...
Article
February 19, 2002
High-speed feeding techniques
The maximum operating speed of a stamping operation should be limited, in theory, only by the maximum number of strokes per minute (SPM) that the press can achieve. In reality, production speed is limited by other factors as well. For instance:
1. The uncoiler may not unwind... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2001
Pairing a servo feed with a pull-through straightener
Servo feeds have been in use for many years now. People have become comfortable with this technology and it is becoming commonplace. What is not commonplace is the knowledge that servo feeds can be used with pull-through straighteners as opposed to a conventional feed line that uses a... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2001
The basics of uncoiling
Choosing proper coil handling and processing equipment can improve material handling and jump-start your shop's overall productivity improvement effort. However, before purchasing any one component, you should consider four factors: • Material to be processed • Line speed... Read more...
Article
November 29, 2001
Using existing tooling for new product applications
Figure 1: This design is typical for the last fin pass for low-carbon steel using high-frequency welding. "In turbulent times, one must be innovative or be rendered defenseless." Peter Drucker said these words when addressing the Steel Service Center Institute several years ago, and... Read more...
Article
November 29, 2001
Tooling, the key for mill production
One of the most important lessons any successful tube mill producer learns is that high-quality tooling is mandatory to achieving and sustaining top-grade production values. To put it simply, tooling is to a tube mill as an engine is to an automobile: You can't get where you need to go without... Read more...
Article
November 29, 2001
Maximizing your scrap's value
Scrap, an often annoying byproduct for metal fabricators, is raw material for scrap metal recyclers. Just as you closely watch the quality of your incoming raw materials, scrap recyclers watch the quality of their incoming raw materials. The more uniform and free of contaminants the scrap... Read more...
Article
November 29, 2001
Making the most of the daily grind
The design and production of abrasives have kept pace with other advances in the welding industry, making grinding and finishing products more effective than ever in helping fabricators to lower costs and improve productivity. Grinding equipment and accessories for this industry are available... Read more...
Article
November 15, 2001
Article
November 15, 2001
Contract stamper increases die life and draw die productivity
Object Jancox Stampings has remained competitive by investing in link drive mechanical presses from PTC, offering value-added assembly services, and encouraging employee initiatives. The article discusses how the presses work and how reduced speed reduces springback (which allows the company... Read more...
Article
October 25, 2001
To e, or not to e?
To e, or not to e? And the answer is complex. Electronic commerce was heavily hyped in the past half decade. The auto industry, it was proclaimed, was headed for a transformation. Everything from procurement to vehicle and component design was going online. OEMs were aglow at the prospect of... Read more...
Article
October 25, 2001
Comparing single-cut and dimple-free tube mill cutoffs
This article covers the application of single-cut and dimple-free cutoff shear technologies as they are applied to contemporary high-speed tube mills. A single-cut die set is a unit composed of an upper shoe and a lower shoe in which a single severing blade and tube supporting jaws are... Read more...
Article
September 17, 2001
Making seamless tubing with a floating mandrel mill
Every six seconds, a single, 32-foot length of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) production tubing used in the exploration and production of oil and/or gas is produced. More than 20,000 miles of tubular product a year can be produced using the floating mandrel mill seamless tubular production... Read more...
Article
September 17, 2001
Designing progressive dies
Figure 1: This part was rotated in the strip to maintain critical tolerances better. The decision to produce a part progressively is usually determined by two factors: the volume of production and the complexity of the part. These two factors are instrumental in the design and... Read more...
Article
September 17, 2001
Examining tube mill roll tooling, setup, and maintenance
Poor tooling setup and mill alignment can be costly, especially when they result in decreased production quality and scrap. Both areas must be maintained continuously. A secret to achieving maximum roll integrity is simple, but often forgotten: Roll tooling design is based on known parameters... Read more...
Article
September 4, 2001
Exploring complementary cutting methods
Diversification is the linchpin of running a successful business. The key to producing quality work and investing in equipment wisely is knowing which cutting method—laser, plasma, electrical discharge machining, waterjet, or another—to use for a particular application. While... Read more...
Article
August 23, 2001
Article
August 16, 2001
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August 16, 2001
Article
July 26, 2001
Article
July 26, 2001
Article
July 12, 2001
Article
June 18, 2001
Big steel on the ropes
The story of the U.S. steel industry as of late reads a lot like the book of Job, whose misfortunes at the hands of the devil made his name synonymous with pain and suffering. Indeed, Chapter 11 might be an appropriate place to start reading, because that's where many of Big Steel's main... Read more...
Article
May 30, 2001
Key design principles for successful deep drawing
Successful deep drawing depends on many factors. Ignoring even one of them during die design and build can prove disastrous. However, regardless of the many factors involved, the most important element to a successful deep drawing operation is initiating metal flow. The following are key... Read more...
Article
May 30, 2001
Protecting dies against press system faults
Mechanical switches and grounding switches were among the first devices to be used for automated die protection. Early sensing systems based on mechanical switches simply opened the top stop circuit of a press when a fault was detected. These systems, however, offered no protection from faulty... Read more...
Article
April 24, 2001
Increasing productivity on your cutoff saw
If you are sawing tube or pipe in substantial quantities, you most likely have a cutoff saw to do the work. As with all of your machinery, your goal is to get the most out of it, and that takes some special consideration. Tubes and pipes are hollow workpieces, so each cut consists of three... Read more...
Article
February 19, 2001
Article
February 19, 2001
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February 19, 2001
