Machine shop punch press tools perform a series of intricately controlled mechanical strokes. Cuts and indentations drop down with ram-like force. Slugs drop free while a matching die accommodates the cut. Having evolved over several decades, contemporary punch press stations use process-enhancing t

In the modern industrial world, you need to know that you have the proper tools and components on hand in order to render your services appropriately. Industrial machines are reliant on quality materials in order to render their specific tasks in an efficient and effective way. When it comes to the

There’s something about tool steel grades, especially when they’re used in punches and dies. The metals feel incredibly dense. Way back at the milling plant, a suitable steel alloy has been selected. It’s a coarse-grained material with a ready to adapt microcrystalline structure. B

An armoury-worth of surface grinding services, each aimed at the precise processing of all sorts of metal objects, sits waiting inside an engineering shop. The abrasive buzz travels the length of the shop floor, and a trail of sparks can be seen arcing high into the air. Masters of all things grindi

As any competent engineering student can guess, this is an incredibly dense subject. CNC Milling and Machining, which recruits computer control systems, has entire libraries dedicated to its study. To better understand the discipline and all of its machine-associated, software dominated elements, le

Despite the label, CNC Turning tools don’t spin when there’s cutting work to be done. In reality, metal workpieces are mounted and set spinning. Like a clay turning table, the metal part receives its shape. Only, it’s a cutting tool, not a sculptor’s hands, that imparts the e

Spark machining uses electrical discharge energy to subtract metal from a workpiece. Known as EDM spark erosion technology (Electrical Discharge Machining), the manufacturing process solves the kind of machining puzzles that can stymy EDM deprived workshops. Let’s delve deep into the technolog

It’s back to basics day. What is sheet metal punching? A person who’s unfamiliar with the process infers a few facts. There are plates of metal, and they’re being held by a clamping mechanism. Suspended above that workpiece, a tool is descending rapidly and with great force. It str

Tool steels are hardened alloys. They’re shaped into sharp-edged cutting and forming profiles. However, in order to retain those rigid geometrical outlines, tool alloys need heat treatment work. With the post-manufacturing work, the super-hardened metals gain additional mechanical strength and

Even the finest punches, those made from ultra-hard tool steel, age. Time is a tool’s enemy here, and there’s no way to put time on pause. However, there are operational factors in motion, which can be regulated. For instance, just by incorporating a planned maintenance program, punches

Production facilities rarely rely on single-stage machine operations. For example, progressive stamping dies sequentially form large batches of raw materials, which flow as blank strips through various tooling stations. It’s a high-volume process, in other words, one that incorporates punching

Hardened carbide steels, all extensively heat treated, last for thousands of punching operations. Even equipped with dense material backbones, however, punch breakage is an unavoidable problem. To some extent, operator error is a known causative factor. The shut height is incorrectly set, the wrong

CAD/CAM technology is spreading into every sector. In other words, this tech isn’t reserved for industrial applications. Sure, Computer Aided Design software dazzles as it produces incredibly detailed stainless steel components, but imagine Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) as a fabrication a

What is a roll pin? There’s a simple answer to that question, which is just as well because we need to get back to the issue at hand. Roll pins are cylindrically shaped fasteners. Forced through aligned openings, the pins anchor boreholes and lock them in place. As for Roll pin punches, well,

There’s a formula for creating quality punches. The engineering techniques also apply to the dies for tool making that perform flawlessly during their extended lifespans. Principally speaking, the key is to never accept anything less than the best. Unfortunately, sheet material manufacturers a

Stainless steel is made from iron and chromium. There’s a small amount of carbon in the mix, and the chromium content hovers around the eleven percent mark. Mild steel is mainly composed of iron and carbon. The low carbon alloy doesn’t always incorporate an alloying metal, but it still m

It’s true, punch quality and features are important. However, even if the tools exceed all expectations, they’re not doing the job right if the punch tip isn’t accurately hitting its mark. To make sure that’s the case every single time, alignment issues need to be addressed.

Made in Australia, toughened metal parts gain an edge when they’re coated in zinc. It’s true, a high-tensile support strut or hardened fastener will anchor a super-heavy load, but that mechanical strength can be undermined. Crippled by water, and time, strong alloys corrode. Here in Melb

Before writing down a compelling argument, one that explains why punches and dies are formed from hardened super-alloys, we should talk a little about vacuum heat treatment. First and foremost, what happens inside the airless furnace? Well, air is sucked out of the heated chamber, then an inert gas

In punch machinery, maximising process efficiency takes more than the ability to squeeze multiple cut sites onto a single sheet of hardened metal. There are other ways to tighten the production cycle. Case in point, the punch material itself is a process performance enhancer. Then there are innovati