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Beating the Odds…
Hard Work & Productive Technology
Spells Success for Silicon Valley Job Shop
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Amrik Atwal and his wife Jagtar own and operate A & J Precision Sheetmetal from a
16,200-square-foot facility in San Jose, CA.
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Small start-up companies are a risky business. They face a constant uphill battle in order to compete in the marketplace and have an alarming failure rate. Statistics show that as many as 50% of these
enterprises go under within their first three years of operation. And when a fledgling one-man company enters the labor- and capital-intensive world of sheet metal fabrication, the probability of success
is clearly not in its favor. Yet in 1994, these “gloom and doom” statistics meant little to Amrik Atwal when he founded A & J Precision Sheetmetal, Inc. in a 3,000-square-foot facility
in California’s Silicon Valley.
Atwal entered the sheet metal fabrication industry with few resources. At the time, he had only one used turret punch press, one used press brake, and one
employee – himself. “I did the programming, punching, folding, welding, deliveries, and the bookkeeping,” reflects Atwal with a smile. But soon his
company had earned a reputation for quality work and reliability in meeting tight deadlines. And, thus, through hard work and persistence, investment in the latest
technology, savvy business decisions, and the help of his wife Jagtar – who joined the company a year later – today A & J is a successful and growing company.
Proof: A & J now owns a 16,200-square-foot facility in San Jose, CA, employs 55 people; and has grown by 20% or more in each year of operation.
A & J’s customers are high-tech manufacturers who produce semi-conductors, networking systems, medical equipment, etc. According to Atwal, A & J was
founded to meet these high-tech companies’ demands for quick turnarounds of high-tolerance parts. “Our commitment to quality, customer satisfaction, and
competitive pricing has fueled our steady growth,” explains Atwal. “We specialize in prototype and production fabrication using state-of-the art equipment. Today
we work two shifts, six days a week in order to meet our customers’ needs.”
From the humble start with just an old turret punch press and press brake,
today A & J’s equipment list includes a stand alone laser, CNC press brakes, T.I.G. and M.I.G. welders, hardware machine with auto-feed, a QC laser machine,
and two E5 turret punch press work centers from Finn-Power International, Inc.
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The E5 Work center is a new-generation, 6-axes precision fabricating system that is energy
efficient, flexible, and amazingly accurate. A & J purchased their first E5 in 2000 and the second machine in June 2001.
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The Finn-Power E5 Work Center is a new-generation, 6-axes precision fabricating system featuring a servomotor-driven punch mechanism which is both flexible and amazingly accurate.
In the E5 Work Center both the position and speed of the punch and die are programmable like normal CNC axes, which allows punching, nibbling, cutting, forming, marking, bending, and tapping in just a single set up.
This new approach to precision sheet metal fabricating has the following features:
- Excellent forming properties – .630" high (16 mm) – with no die interference
- Intelligent tool management technology for easy settings
- User-friendly operator interface via touch screen control
- Forming repeatability of .0004"
- Low energy consumption
A & J purchased its first Finn-Power turret punch press - the hydraulic TP 2525 – in 1995 to replace the older turret punch press. Last year, the company purchased
its first E5 work center. “We were happy with the TP 2525,” says Atwal, “but we saw the E5 at a trade show in San Jose, and I am always looking for new technology
that will give us an advantage in the marketplace. The precision combined with the ability to perform functions like tapping and upforming were features that really attracted us to the E5.”
The punching process of this new technology from Finn-Power combines electrical servo technology with mechanical power transmission, enabling strict
punch control. A servomotor, together with a lead screw, move a roll that in turn moves the ram by means of a guiding surface.
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Finn-Power’s E5 Work Center utilizes a combination of servo-electric technology and mechanical
power transmission and consumes 1/3 the amount of electrical power of a comparable hydraulic turret punch press.
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The punching mechanism is designed for two basic modes: punching and forming. In the punching mode, the roll moves horizontally over the top of the guiding surface, producing a
punching stroke during each movement. The punching stroke is generated by a servomotor-driven mechanism. The ram that moves the tool has numerically programmable upper and lower limits (CNC-axis). For punching,
the operator enters the tool length for each tool in the tool table. The CNC control determines the optimum stroke length according to tool length and sheet thickness.
The stroke lower limit is based on the ram’s mechanical bottom position that is fixed in punching. In forming, the upper and lower limits of the ram are freely set from its bottom position upwards.
The punching stroke is numerically controlled by the CNC, which provides a very fast and optimal punching stroke. The stroke position and speed are controlled
by the CNC. With forming tools, it is possible to program a lower ram speed and use a lower forming speed and a positioning tolerance based on G-code, which allows for making exact and intricate parts.
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In the E5 Work Center both the position and speed of the punch and die are programmable like
normal CNC axes, which allows punching, nibbling, cutting, forming, marking, bending, and tapping in just a single set up.
The E5 has excellent forming properties of .630” (16 mm) in height with no die interference.
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To date, the tapping features of the E5 have paid dividends for A & J. “We produce one part for a customer that requires tapping 200 holes,” explains Atwal.
“We used to tap those by hand and it would take one person about two weeks to tap the holes by hand. With the E5, we can do it in one day with two shifts.”
Other E5 Work Center features include:
- A large work chute capable of removing large parts up to 19.6" x 19.6". These parts are then dropped onto a conveyor to be exited out the end of
the machine, thereby reducing shaker parts and eliminating skeletons.
- The operator interface makes use of a touch screen for easy access to all punching and forming parameters and tooling date. Tooling is made to
learn its own length. When a new or sharpened tool is installed, its length value is simply set at zero. The first punch programmed for the tool
automatically stops at the sheet contact and the correct, accurate length of the tool is automatically recorded in the tool library. Intelligent Stroke
Control (ISC) takes care of stroke control, setting optimal length for all tools and also individually for each sheet movement. The operator is free
to concentrate on more important tasks-Finn-Power’s ISC handles all punch stroke settings automatically.
- The upforming option is a servo operated construction installed in the lower machine frame and provides more accurate forming and greater forming heights up to .630" (16 mm).
An example of Finn-Power’s E5 upforming capability can be seen on a part A & J fabricates for a networking hub that must be upformed .40" on cold rolled steel.
Another major benefit that has only recently taken on great importance in the U.S. is the energy savings aspects of the E5. Soaring energy costs have rocked
the bottom line for many sheet metal fabricators, especially in California. According to Finn-Power International, recent tests have proven that by using an
ingenious combination of servo-electric technology and mechanical power transmission the E5 consumes less than 1/3 the amount of electrical power of a comparable hydraulic turret punch press.
More specifically, the E5 concept is an astonishing money saver in terms of energy consumption. It uses braking energy in the acceleration of the following
movement. The operating economy is best described by analyzing what happens energy-wise during each sequence consisting of a punching stroke and the sheet movements that precede and follow it (see chart).
- X and Y servo motor accelerate the sheet; the Z servo motor for index tool rotation can operate simultaneously. The energy required comes from DC
link consisting of a feed module and power modules kept constantly at DC 600V from the line supply.
- When sheet movement and eventual index tool rotation are decelerated, the servo motors operate as generators and charge the capacitors of the DC link.
- Punching stroke starts while the servo motors X and Y are still in the deceleration phase; the energy thus recovered is transmitted via DC link
circuit direct into servo motor Q which generates tool movement and is further energized by the charged capacitors of the DC link and from line supply to the required extent.
- At the moment of the actual punching stroke, servo motor Q operates at full speed. As rotor energy is considerable, little additional supply is needed.
- When the punching stroke is complete, the punch returns over the sheet top and servo motor Q begins to decelerate the tool movement. Energy
derived from deceleration is used for accelerating the sheet for X and Y positioning; additional energy needed comes from capacitors and line supply.
A & J also provides other services for its customers, including: design consulting, mechanical design, CAD/CAM, assembly, plating, painting, and
silkscreening. At the present time, some of these services are outsourced, but Atwal is looking ahead to a new 40,000 square-foot facility where the company
can consolidate all the services in-house sometime in the near future.
It seems like a pretty safe bet that the expansion will happen. After all, Amrik
Atwal is a man who knows how to beat the odds.
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710 Remington Road