The Fabricator - Sample Issue

can be beneficial, especially one with quick-change capabilities.

Safety. As always, safety must be a very high priority. The rated capacity of the punch and die always should be checked against the amount of force that will be applied during the bending process.

It is also important to remember that a tool with a rated capacity of, say, 12 tons per foot does not mean that you can apply a total of 12 tons of force over any length, regardless of how long or how short the part length or the tooling is. It means that a tool with a rated capacity of 12 tons per ft. is capable of handling a maximum of 1 ton per inch of bending force. Subsequently, if you were to apply 12 tons of bending force over 6-in.-long tooling that is rated at 12 tons per ft., you would be using the tooling at

twice its rated capacity. In like manner, a tool with a rated capacity of 24 tons per ft. is rated at 2 tons per in.

Finally, it is always a good idea to use punches with safety clicks or safety tangs, especially with large, heavy punches. This helps reduce the risk of operator injury and damage to the tooling during loading and unloading.

Clamping. As mentioned previously, handling large, heavy tooling is one of the greatest contributors to the cost of bending. One of the best ways to reduce setup time is to install a quick-clamping system on the ram of the machine.

This system enables the operator to clamp the punches without the use of cumbersome wrenches and levers. Some of the hydraulic versions also have the ability to clamp, seat, center, and align the tooling with the push of a single button.

4HE "% 34 JUST GOT EVEN "ETTER

9( 56, 21

.EW 3HEET -ETAL &ABRICATION #!- SOFTWARE THAT OFFERS

"ETTER -ATERIAL 3AVINGS s 4HE "% 34 YIELD FROM YOUR RAW MATERIAL s ,OWER COST PER PART

"ETTER -OTION /PTIMIZATION
s 4HE "% 34 MACHINE THROUGHPUT
s 1UALITY PARTS FASTER

"ETTER -ANPOWER 5TILIZATION

s 4HE "% 34 INTEGRATION WITH

3OLID7ORKS 0RO

3OLID%DGE 5' 3

)NVENTOR s )MPROVED PART REVISION TRACKING

"ETTER -ANAGEMENT s 4HE "% 34 - 20 20 SYSTEM INTEGRATION s 4OTAL PROGRAMMING AUTOMATION

Enter code FC349 at www.ffid.net

.EST WITH THE "% 34 WWW SIGMANEST COM 3IGMA4%+ 3YSTEMS ,,# INFO SIGMANEST COM

!LL BRANDS AND PRODUCT NAMES ARE TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

CFIGURE 2 This large-radius punch and punch holder with a quick-change, adjustable die is equipped with rollers on the shoulders that significantly reduce bending force requirements to bend thick material.

These new breeds bring with them

the need for new tools and new rules

for proper bending.

Crowning Systems Counter Deflection. The higher amount of bending force required to bend HSS will increase machine deflection. It will also increase the need to compensate for deflection when bending parts that require good accuracy and parts that are typically 8 ft. long or longer. Using the old method of shimming dies is rarely acceptable as it is very time-consuming. Shimming also damages the die holder because the force is partially concentrated over the shims instead of being dissipated over the full load-bear-ing surface of the lower die holder. This will create the need to have the lower die holder machined periodically, thus adding cost to the overall operation.

The best solution for attacking the problem of machine deflection is to install a crowning system on the bed of the machine. Today’s crowning sys-

tems come with a host of features that are designed to allow you to tailor them to your specific needs and budget. Features include opposing waves to improve accuracy; localized adjustments to allow the operator to compensate for local wear in the ram and bed of the machine and/or the tooling; drive motors that are interfaced with the control; lower-cost, manual handcranks for the adjustment of the crown; hydraulic die clamping for rapid die changes; and manual clamping in the form of clamping bars that allow for the use of sectionalized tooling or set screws to provide an inexpensive method of securing long, planer-made dies. ■