Punching Tech Cell - Articles
Punching Articles
Results: 48
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Get more out of your punch
Several factors come into play when trying to determine the
appropriate lifespan of a punch before major maintenance or
replacement is required. If a fabricating operation is knowledgeable
about punching activities and vigilant about organization...
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First to the punch
The ability to move from one job to the next quickly is essential to a shop’s ability to produce more parts in less time. An important part of this involves shortening changeover time at the punch press.
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When to cut a common line
All things being equal, it stands to reason that a single separating cut is always preferable where possible. But all things are not equal, and there are times when common-line cutting is not the best option.
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10 questions to ask for safeguarding success
Applied correctly, safeguarding can add to a company’s bottom line by preventing injury, improving the manufacturing process, and optimizing the overall shop environment.
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Punching up productivity
Mid-West Metal Products Co. Inc., Muncie, Ind., needed a new punching press for a large-volume order and soon found out just how fast production flow can change on a shop floor with new technology.
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Piecing together a growing business
The ironworker at RJ Industries keeps modular aluminum components flowing. At this shop, the tried-and-true machine is the center of cutting and punching production.
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Packing a wallop with the punch
Eliminating secondary processes in a
fabricating operation is a way to reduce labor costs, which is good news for both the metal fabricator and, potentially, the customer. Modern punch tooling can duplicate some of those secondary processes while...
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The ironworker stands ready for production
These days the ironworker can play a role in production, thanks in part to the custom tooling available, as well as positioning and gauging systems that add accuracy, repeatability, and efficiency to the operation.
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Leaning on the turret punch press
Proper planning and tools lead to greater punching efficiencies as well as smooth part flow throughout the rest of the fabrication operation.
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Through thick and thin, punching tooling can help
More metal fabricators are venturing into the area of thicker materials, so it's not too unusual to see 0.25-in. material thrown onto a punch press that also accommodates thin material. Luckily, the right punching tooling can help fabricators work...
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The evolution of turret punch press processing
Improvements in turret punch presses have increased their capabilities and eliminated the need for many secondary operations. These improvements, which include automation options and the ability to perform contour cutting, tapping, and other...
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Where the tool meets the sheet metal
Machine control really has defined what it means to be a metal fabricator. Boiled down, the job is about turning a design concept into a metallic reality, and the control interface is where the rubber
hits the road.
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Sharpen your punch tooling maintenance program
Sharpening punch tooling consistently and
correctly can help a fabricator save time and
money in its punching operations. These
suggestions can help a fabricator determine
if the company is efficient as it can be with
its maintenance program for...
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Progress in punching
Today's turret punch presses do more than simply punch holes. They can form shapes beneath the sheet, perform shear-quality cuts, and actually deburr edges. And that's
just scratching the surface of the
equipment's capabilities.
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Discovering the best path to better bending
Fabricators looking to streamline bending should weigh all the options, from standalone press brakes to robotized brake cells and automated panel benders.
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The 'hole' story about the Tampa Museum of Art
How does an architect create a building that mirrors the daylight and a nearby river? In the case of the new Tampa Museum of Art, architect Stanely Saitowitz turned to perforated metal panels that enveloped the entire building, all 96,000 square...
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Reinvigorating your ironworker
Metal fabricators need to meet the challenges that new customers present, but they may not be in the position to invest in new equipment. With a small investment in accessories, however, that ironworker in the corner of the shop may be the answer...
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Bright lights, big opportunity
Orion Energy Systems, Manitowoc, Wis., has found tremendous success as a company that manufactures energy efficient lighting. The company also found that the best way to keep manufacturing in-step with demand was to bring its metal fabricating...
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Punching holes in aerospace manufacturing theories
Unison Industries, an aerospace partsmanufacturer, found out that a metalfabricator can offer a lot to theirmanufacturing efforts.
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Tapping into new capabilities on punching machines
Whether in the guise of bolt-on tapping units or actual tapping tools that are housed in a turret, precision punch presses can handle tapping chores like never before. As a result, metal fabricators are considering these options to take the manual...
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Keeping the (fire) door open
A manufacturer of fire doors, in the South Bronx grows a business through market diversification and automation, just a few miles north of some of the most expensive real estate on earth.
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Tooling organization means punching optimization
Turret punch press uptime will increase if you know your process capability, manufacture products within that capability, and optimize the layout of your tooling. It also will increase if you optimize programming, design, and tooling. It also is...
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Before you buy: Considerations for turret punch press shoppers
Making an intelligent, economically sound punch press purchasing decision requires careful consideration of many factors, including material size and thickness, material handling capabilities, part complexity and volume, and turret capacity. Take...
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Punching on demand
Until about a year ago, the staff at King Electrical Mfg. Co. manufactured parts by the thousands without much consideration of the actual demand for those parts. This doesn't happen anymore.
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Pushing nesting efficiency for the punch press
Nesting for punching must not only consider the part geometry but also the tool boundary. Some nesting software can respect the tool boundary rather than just the part boundary. The software respects the integrity of the punched part, the...
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Getting creative with punch tooling
Keeping a lean program running takes time, effort, and teamwork. To make the most of lean—that is, to understand all of their options in eliminating waste—companies that do extensive work in punching should keep up with innovation in...
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Better tool management, better punching
McQuay international develops a strategy to prolong tool life for turret presses.
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Organizing your tooling
Are you busy putting out fires? Is management by crisis preventing you from being proactive and establishing a preventive maintenance system for your tooling? Does your tooling gather more dust than uptime? Do you think you know your tooling...
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Advances in automation broaden punching capabilities
Increasingly metal fabricators are turning to automated equipment to reduce production downtime and costs, streamline manufacturing, minimize material handling, and address a shortage of skilled labor. Automating punch press operations can range...
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Punching through complacency to win a bid
Anderson Metals, a sheet metal fabricator with clients such as Volvo, Deere, and Cat, needed some specialized tooling in a hurry to win over a new client, Eaton Electrical. Its main punch provider didn't have the tooling in its inventory, so...
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The formula for successful punching
While the first step in successful punching is to pay close attention to the quality and features of punching tooling, other factors come into play. Punched slugs are clues, and examining them can reveal whether the punch and die clearance is too...
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Euros zoned in on competing
European metal fabricators, among them a stainless steel cabinet-maker, an electronics contract manufacturer, and a commercial refrigerator appliance manufacturer, are staying competitive in the global marketplace with automated material handling...
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Powering up with a punch
When Generac Power Systems, a generator manufacturer, went looking for ways to increase the useful life of its punching tooling, it tried several strategies before it settled on the Optima® coating provided by Wilson Tool...
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Organizing your chaos
Many fabricators use fairly rudimentary methods to keep turret press punch tooling stored, but often tooling isn't really organized. A common method is to store tooling horizontally and group tooling by station (A-station tools a grouped together,...
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Punch Tooling, aka ...
New types of punch press tooling make it possible to perform many secondary fabricating operations on the turret press as well as standard punching—in some cases eliminating additional equipment and part handling, and reducing machine...
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Parting the Waters
Hayward Pools improves punching of pool heaters using DuraBlade parting tool.
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The ABCs of CNC
If you're considering adding an ironworker, you should know not only what type of ironworker is best for your facility and end product, but also what options will offer you the productivity level you want. For this reason, you should learn about...
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See unitized tooling make a difference
From small custom job shops to large, multibillion-dollar companies, manufacturers are accommodating shorter product life cycles to meet the rapid innovation in today's marketplace.
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Tap into success
Even with all of the new advances in metal stamping technology, screws and threaded holes are still the trusted staples for metal fastening. Tapping the threaded holes has never been an easy task, however.
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Solving pierce punch breaking and chipping problems
Figure 1 Having a pierce or perforating punch chip, or worse yet break, can cause severe die damage. It also can result in nonconforming parts because of burrs or undersize holes. Broken punch pieces can fall into the die and crush...
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The growing versatility of turret punch presses
Recent improvements in press drive technology, machine control design, tooling, and CAD/CAM programming software are increasing the throughput capability and the overall versatility of CNC turret punch press equipment.
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Getting more punch life
Augur Metal Products, a sheet metal fabricator that manufactures components for OEMs, punches large stainless-steel sheets for commercial separators. Its punches required sharpening after punching 10 to 15 sheets until it changed to Mate punches...
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Maximizing your ironworker's potential
Ironworkers perform many functions that allow fabricators to simplify difficult tasks. No matter which type of ironworker you have, you probably have found yourself saying, "I don't know how I ever got along without my ironworker."
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New tool helps fabricator accelerate part making for small runs
Custom metal fabricator Total Metal Products, Dallas, had a need for part marking that would be both accurate and cost-effective for small quantities. The company supplies punched parts in single and small-lot quantities of 200, 300, and 400 on a...
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Five ways to add punch to productivity
It is no surprise that fabricators are always looking for ways to increase productivity; however, many don't realize that a simple solution sometimes can be found right in front of them.
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How to select the right IRONWORKER for your application
An ironworker can be an important and versatile machine in a metal fabricating shop. Quite often ironworking is the first step in the manufacturing process, and one ironworker typically can provide enough fabricated material to keep up to seven...
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Punching tips
The author discusses what not to do to manage slug ejection. He mentions several tooling maintenance errors that he has made over the years, as well as what machine operators can do if they want to experience slug ejection difficulties. He...
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Keeping pace with today's punching requirements
This article provides the basics on how the punch, die, and stripper work; how to perform material thickness calculations on various materials; how different applications affect punching quality; how fully guided tooling counters lateral forces;...
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