Page 38 - MetalForming November 2011

Tooling Technology
How to Optimize the Performance of
CNC Punch-Press
Tooling...in six easy steps. BY ANDREW MCCARLIE
Punching technology has devel- and lower servo-electric punching ram to new 33-ton servo-electric punching
allows for precision (0.001-in. increments) high forming and indexing simultane- ously in the one station. This allows a fabricator to add more of these tools at any time, with an easy station change- out and reconfiguration procedure.
While CNC punching machines have become more capable and flexi- ble, selection of tooling has become easier and less complicated, thanks
oped dramatically during the last
10 yr., including the introduc- tion of linear drives, high-speed (up to 170 RPM) active synchronized AC drives for auto-index stations and tur- rets, precision 33-ton high-speed servo- electric punching and shearing machines, and the use of high-per- formance networked computer hard- ware and software built directly into the machines.
These new-generation presses pro- vide for greater flexibility and per- formance by not only increasing hit rate but by also providing new features that allow fabricators to combine numerous operations inside one punching work center. Multiple 3.5-in. full extra-space tonnage indexing upform stations (10 or more in one machine) that combine a true upper
Andrew McCarlie is an applications engineer with Prima Power, the machin- ery division of Prima Industrie Group; www.primapower.com.
machines. These machines feature controls and a standard software inter- face that provides improved tool con- trol and integrated setup software. And, with servo-electric machines, the need to have mechanically adjustable form tools is eliminated, as the tool adjustment for form height is built directly into the machine’s servo-elec- tric control.
Six Steps to Optimized Tooling Performance
1 Match the tools to the machine’s capabilities and the application
Correct tool selection for a new high-speed punching machine is akin to selecting the tires for a new automobile. Using the wrong tires (or con- tinuing to ride on worn tires) will compromise performance and may even cause
damage to the vehicle. So it is with tooling and presses.
To optimize machine performance, seek minimal tool changes by maximizing
the number of tools that can be loaded into the machine, as well as the number of index stations and their size. For example, a fabricator can sleeve-down a 3.5-in. index station to a 0.5-in. station, but not the reverse, should it at some point require a larger station. Also, modern fully guided tooling in modern replaceable hardened
36 MetalForming/November 2011
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