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Improving
Productivity with
Versatile Press Brake Tooling
by
David Bishop
Business Development Manager
Wila USA
For
over two decades, press brake manufacturers and end users
alike have placed a tremendous emphasis on accuracy, durability,
and speed of set-up when it comes to selecting a press
brake tooling system for new and existing press brakes. While
that
emphasis has most definitely resulted in longer tool life,
higher quality products, reduced set-up times, and greater
levels of productivity, it has often overshadowed the need
for versatility. The end result for many press brake owners
has been the buildup of an excessive inventory of press
brake tooling that rivals in size the outdated tooling system
that
they intended to replace
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| Photograph
shows Wila New Standard hemming punch number
BIU-051/1 and hemming die number OZU-081/1
performing the flattening stage of a hemming
operation on a part made from .060” (1.5mm)
mild steel. |
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Photograph
shows Wila New Standard acute-angle punch
number BIU-031/1 at 7.874” (200MM)
tall, and die number OZU-352/1 at 3.9371” (100mm)
tall being used to produce a part with a
large down flange from .060” (1.5mm)
mild steel. |
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Photograph
shows Wila New Standard punch number BIU-033/1
at 7.874” (200MM) tall, and die number
OZU-052/1 at 2.165” (55mm) tall, being
used to bend a deep U-channel configuration
from .060” (1.5mm) mild steel.
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Since
the beginning, Wila has focused on designing press brake
tooling systems that are as versatile as they are accurate,
durable, and fast to set-up. Our goal has always been to
offer press brake tooling systems that provide the fastest
change over times, and yet offer them in extremely versatile
designs so as to eliminate as many change overs as possible.
The concept is simple: using fewer tools to produce more
products with fewer tooling changes is always preferable
to making fast tooling changes. Looking at it from a simple
economic perspective, the elimination of two fifteen minute
set-ups per day alone can save a sheet metal fabricator with
an hourly rate of $60.00 per hour a total of $7,800.00 per
year.
To
meet this goal, we elected to abandon many of the typical
punch and die configurations that are commonly used throughout
the industry. Instead, we chose to invest heavily in state
of the art machining technology to make it possible for us
to machine specialized steel blanks that are considerably
larger than those commonly used in the manufacture of press
brake tooling. This enables us to offer a wide variety of
punches that are significantly taller with much deeper relief
areas, thereby making them far more versatile.
Many
of these punches, which are found in our state of the art
New Standard tooling line, feature a variety of working
heights up to 7.874” (200mm) tall. The various profiles
include gooseneck punches, which are capable of producing
exceptionally deep boxes, channels, hat sections, and parts
with complicated bend sequences, acute-angle punches, which
are commonly used to produce parts with multiple bend angles
and parts requiring a hemming operation, and straight punches,
which are commonly used to bend thicker materials and deep
boxes.
To
compliment our taller and more versatile punches, we also
included a full line of single-V dies, which are available
in working heights of 2.165” (55mm)
and 3.937” (100mm), and feature large shoulder radii to minimize material
marking. In being of a single-V configuration, these dies are narrower and provide
minimal interference when bending parts with complicated bend sequences. The
3.937” (100mm) tall versions also allow for maximum down flange lengths
over the front, back, and sides of the die, and are designed to be used in crowning
units and die holders that are available with manual and hydraulic clamping.
Other
unique Wila tooling designs include a two-stage hemming punch and die configuration
that totally eliminates the need to reposition the back gauge when performing
the flattening stage of a hemming operation. With this tooling combination, the
part is placed against the back gauge to establish the bend location prior to
producing the initial 28-degree acute angle bend. After this bend is completed,
the back gauge is retracted out of the way and the bent material is positioned
against the face of the punch, which serves as the back gauge. At this point,
the punch penetrates into the die opening and the flattening jaws complete the
flattening operation. As both the punch and die are of a solid one piece configuration,
this tooling combination can be used to produce standard 90 degree, acute, and
obtuse angle bends, and to perform hemming operations on the same part, making
them exceptionally versatile.
When
all is said and done, the most important thing to consider when selecting a press
brake tooling system is actually the same thing that should be considered
when selecting any piece of capital equipment. That is, which system will enable
you to obtain the maximum level of productivity at the lowest cost? When you
look at it that way, it becomes very clear that versatility should be a major
consideration when selecting a press brake tooling system.
For
more information, please contact:
Wila USA
9135 Guilford Road
Columbia, MD 21046
Tel: 888-696-9452
Fax: 301-490-3991
www.wilausa.com
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710
Remington Road 
Volume
13 Issue 1 -
July 2003