Mate Rollerball tooling creates stiffening ribs for structural rigidity

Using Mate’s Rollerball tooling, punch press operators can create stiffening ribs and decorative beads in sheet metal without secondary operations.

The tool forms the rib by pinching the metal between two omnidirectional ball bearings in the upper tool assembly and a single ball bearing in the tool’s lower assembly. The shape of the rib is created by the punch press programming system and can be placed anywhere on the part surface.

The tool can be used in machines that can hold the ram down while simultaneously moving the sheet around the X and/or Y axis. When used in machines with accurate stroke control, a simple adjustment to the machine’s stroke length can create a deeper or shorter form.