Page 52 - MetalForming September 2012

Tooling Technology
Embossing Tool
Creates Artistic
Metalwork
Punched holes in random wave lines create “architecture as art” when fabricating aluminum sheetmetal panels to construct a spectacular building facade with a vibrant feeling of flowing motion.
Renowned for its high-quality architectural metalwork through- out the United Kingdom, NES Architecture, Colchester, UK, recently was commissioned to produce the artistic metalwork cladding for an elec- trical substation building. Based on its long track record for high-quality niche architectural metalwork, NES set out to design a set of finely polished alu- minum-panel surfaces to convey a
vibrant feeling of flowing motion. NES Architecture operates out of two facilities, totaling 100,000 sq. ft. and staffed by some 60 employees. For the substation building, it fabricated 120 10-ft.-tall aluminum panels, which mount side-by-side on the building
exterior walls.
The challenge for NES Architecture
was to punch the aluminum sheets with rows of holes in irregular wave
lines across the entire panel surface. The holes, punched in six different sizes, were unconventional in that they have a dimple around the perimeter edge to produce the required visual effects in different light conditions.
To achieve these features, NES punched the wave lines of holes in a Safan Challenger turret press using custom CNC programming, and tool- ing that included a special counter-
50 MetalForming/September 2012
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sink embossing tool (from Mate Precision Tooling, Anoka, MN) to create the dim-
NES operations director Patrick Holt (left) and Mate Tooling Solutions’ Craig Letty take a look at the embossed/dimpled aluminum wall panels fabricated for a newly constructed electrical substation building. The sheets, embossed with holes in wavy rows, remain perfectly flat and square so they affix to the building without distortion.