Page 25 - MetalForming Magazine August 2022

FABRICATION
CNC PUNCHING: MACHINE MANAGEMENT AND NESTING CAPABILITY FORM
POWERFUL COMBO
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SENIOR EDITOR
By considering tool usage and other machine factors in CNC punching applications, fabricators can add to the efficiencies delivered by nesting software.
CNC punching machines offer unique advantages over other cutting and forming processes
for sheet metal, from adding forms to punching multiple holes as a set pat- tern in a single hit. Often, manufac- turers employ CNC punching machines in addition to laser, waterjet and other cutting machines to provide for increased flexibility, capability and pro- ductivity. Combination punch/laser machines also get the nod in many fabricating operations. The point here:
CNC punching machines pack a pow- erful punch in the arsenals of success- ful sheet metal formers and fabricators.
And, like their cutting companions, CNC punching machines leverage rap- idly evolving nesting software to pro- duce parts quickly and accurately, while optimizing material utilization. For details on industry-wide CNC punch- ing trends related to nesting, and a list of nesting tips for fabricators, Metal- Forming reached out to Gary C. Carnall, regional manager for Europe, the Mid-
dle East and Africa at Metamation, a Trumpf Group company specializing in sheet metal CAD/CAM software, with its U.S. core offices within Trumpf’s Chicago, IL, Smart Factory.
Different Punching-Machine Designs for Different Applications
“As opposed to laser cutting machines that don’t employ tools, tool- ing constrains nesting on CNC punch- ing machines,” Carnall says, citing a
22 MetalForming/August 2022
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