With the shortage of skilled diemakers that presently exists it is very important to make sure that we get the best possible performance from existing tooling. The following 20 suggestions will help ensure that your tooling doesn't suffer an early death.

1. Proper Preparation. Before placing a die in the press, start by bringing the slide to the stroke down position. Then adjust the slide so that the space between the slide face and the bolster measures slightly greater than the shut height of the closed die. Now you can raise the slide to top-stroke position and mount the die on the bolster.


2. Don't Fall In. Bolster plate openings are often too large to support a small die so that in operation the shoe will be bent. In this case a sub-bolster plate should be provided. It should have a hole suited to the die and it should be large enough to substantially cover the actual bolster opening. This will support the die and prevent bending.


3. Don't Encourage Sloppiness. Bolster plates that don't have sufficient T-slots or tapped holes encourage the setup man to take chances with improper mounting such as long-reach clamping, suspension bridge clamping or, worse, not enough clamps to properly secure the die on the bolster.


4. Misguided Makeshifts. Placing narrow parallels under a die to obtain desired shut height or to span bolster openings demands support from the parallels that they cannot provide. Results-a bent shoe or a broken die and bent parallels.


5. False Security. When loose parallels are placed under a die, clamps must be located so that the clamping force is directly over the loose parallels. Otherwise the parallels will exercise the prerogative of looseness and creep out from under the die shoe.


6. Nobody Needs a Big Bang. To prevent snap-through damage to strippers and dies, use four stop blocks. Snap-through damage is very common, especially in shops that do not have periodic inspections to reveal such matters as loose connection ball collars. Stop blocks will reduce the explosive force of snap-through.


7. A Case of Non-Support. Stop blocks must be supported beneath the shoe either by a supporting bolster plate, properly placed parallels or a round support fastened directly to the shoe under the stop block.


8. Another Case of Non-Support. Screw-in stems in die sets were not intended to be the only method of securing the top of the die set to the slide by holding it by the stem clamping cap. This method is very unreliable as it is possible for the stem to unscrew or to break off when off-center loads are applied. An OSHA requirement (and a good one) is that other means beside stem clamping be used to secure the punch holders to the slide.


9. Poor Housekeeping. The top of the bolster and the bottom of the die are supposed to fit flush and parallel. They cannot do this if the die setter neglects to wipe off slugs and foreign matter from the bottom of the die and the top of the bolster. One wipe with a rag can save thousands of dollars in die damage.


10. Rubber Guide Posts? There's no such thing, of course. Consequently when the guide posts are too long they will bottom against the face of the slide. This can severely damage the slide. If you're lucky it merely breaks the clamping ledge.


11. Weak Links. No matter how strong the bolt, it is impossible to securely mount the die if thin, bent, or loosely fitted washers are used.


12. Very False Economy. Fastening dies with too few fasteners will result in premature die wear. Except for very small dies, four clamps should be used for dies up to 18 inches long with an additional pair of clamps for each additional 18 inches. The top of the die should be secured by bolts passing through the clamping ledges. Don't forget bolts at the back of the slide.


13. Teeter Totter. Off center loads, cutting and bottoming actually rock the slide back and forth. This is a major cause of premature wear and it can cause misalignment and loosening of the gibs and slide that is difficult to repair.


14. Where to Start? Always mark the material starting position very distinctly on the die so that the operator or setup man knows exactly where to place the starting end of the strip. This saves setup time and prevents broken pilots and sheared dies.


15. Babying the Press and Tooling. By grinding a balanced shear on large diameter or long slot punches and blanking die blocks you can greatly reduce cutting tonnage, noise and the shock caused by snap through.


16. Breaking a Connection (I). Blanking and piercing punches in progressive dies must be fitted with rubber inserts or mechanical pusher pins to break the oil seal that occurs naturally between the slug/part and the blank/pierce punches.


17. Breaking a Connection (II). Knockout and pierce punches on compound dies must be fitted with rubber inserts or mechanical pusher pins to break the adhesion caused by the oil seal between the part and the knockout and to keep the slug in the die.


18. Checking for Play. Each time a die is installed, the setup man should see if he can shake the slide in the down stroke position. If he can do so, he should immediately ask for maintenance to correct the fault. The fit between the slide and gibs is critical and absolutely essential to long production runs without headaches. There should be no play.


19. Generosity Pays. Die sets should be large enough to permit good fastening. The span from left to right must be large enough to permit fastening to the slide. The bottom should be large enough to permit fastening anywhere around the perimeter. The thickness of the shoe can be standard if supported by a bolster plate but if the shoe is to be elevated to permit installation of a conveyor beneath the shoe, the thickness of the shoe should be doubled.


20. This Above All. Makeshift, rinky-dink clamps are the scourge of a press room. If you have any, junk them at once and start over again with strong alloy clamps that won't bend. Always provide good solid blocks. Their purpose is to serve as fulcrum supports and their proper location is important. They should not be located near the bolt. MF