The Hits Keep Coming for Fabricators, Thanks to Turret-Punch Tool Coatings

As sheetmetal fabricators today seek get more this from their punch-press tooling, many are turning to specialty coatings designed to increase tool life, get more hits between sharpenings and minimize galling.

Case study I: Spectrum Control Inc., Fairview, PA, a manufacturer of custom electronic components and systems. The firm performs much of its metal fabrication inhouse to shorten lead times and reduce overall material costs. Recently, Spectrum production supervisor Luke Johnson approached tooling manufacturer Wilson Tool, White Bear Lake, MN, in search of to overcome galling of a punch used to produce brass filter plates, from 0.020 to 0.040 in. thick. The operation typically requires the punch to hit 20 times/part. Wilson Tool recommended its Optima custom-engineered TiCN coating, and the results were astonishing.

“Without the coating, we would get 150,000 to 175,000 hits before needing to sharpen the punch,” says Johnson. Now, thanks to the coating, we get 600,000 to 750,000 hits.”

Case study II: Greenheck Fan Corp., Schofield, WI, a manufacturer of air-movement equipment such as fans, dampers, louvers and kitchen ventilation hoods. For Greenheck, the Optima tool coating helps to prevent wear on high-use specialty punches used for full sheet nibbling. With a surface hardness of Rc 95, Optima proves ideal for high-use punches and specialty punches that have minimal regrind life. Greenheck knew the overlapping hits used to profile parts would be tough on punches and, if left untreated, would require frequent sharpening, resulting in unnecessary downtime.