Page 34 - MetalForming September 2010

Tooling Technology Punch
Earns Applause
The promise of part
flatness and dimensional precision might be
enough for some fabrication- shop managers, but at automotive-supplier Owens Products, the added value from being able to make millions of punch hits without having to replace its turret-press tooling has taken performance to another level.
How is it possible to make millions of punch hits without having to replace tooling , and with very little maintenance, over a span of seven years of fabricating sheetmetal parts? And, more importantly, what impact does that kind of punch-press tool life have on productivity and the bottom line?
Certainly Owens Products knows the answers to those questions, where fab- ricating made-to-order sheetmetal prod- ucts means punching a lot of short runs.
Many of the company’s prod- ucts are comprised of just six or seven punched components, and with many products and variations, there is frequent changeover in the tur- ret press from one product to the next. The key to maximum productivity for these short runs is to punch quick- ly, moving from job to job and mini- mizing setup time. Especially important is tool life, so that tools stay sharp and the turret press keeps punching without interruption for tool sharpening or
replacement.
Better Punching
Means Lean Fabricating
Owens Products, Sturgis, MI, is well known for its sleek running boards designed for pickup trucks, vans and SUVs; it also manufactures vehicle tool- boxes and elegant dog boxes. With a com- mitment to only the highest quality fab- ricating, this family owned business has
Owens Products fabricates dog boxes of heavy-duty diamond tread alu- minum. “Punched parts are highly visible in the finished product,” says plant manager Joe Long (left), “so punched features must show well. And, the components are assembled and welded together, so sheared and punched parts must be flat and pre- cise. We can’t tolerate uneven, rough edges or burrs.” Shown here along with Long, inspecting a fabricated dog box, is Mate sales engineer Gary Troxell.
grown steadily for more than 40 years. One of the keys to Owens Products’ success is a well-managed punching operation in a lean-manufacturing
environment.
“Nearly all of our products are fab-
ricated from diamond-tread aluminum and galvanized steel,” says plant man- ager Joe Long. “We punch primarily Type 3003 aluminum sheet 0.056 to 0.10 in. thick, as well as 12- and 16- gauge galvanized steel, running sheet sizesfrom48by48to48by96in.In addition to shearing parts for these
30 METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2010
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