Page 21 - MetalForming November 2012

with linear drives will provide the high- est degree of accuracy while optimizing cutting speed and part quality. By using higher accelerations (to 5G typically), this process has proven to improve process time by as much as 500 percent over conventional cutting techniques.
Chain Cutting
Chain cutting allows metalformers to tab several parts together on a sheet, created by cutting all of the parts with one common outside cut (Fig. 2). Sev- eral advantages arise with this process, often used to cut relatively small parts. Typically when laser cutting of small parts, if the parts are not tabbed into the sheet they will either fall through onto a conveyor or collection bin. How- ever, if they fail to properly release from the sheet, the parts may tip up and potentially cause a hazard—an oppor- tunity for a cutting-head crash. While in some applications it may be accept- able to allow parts to fall through the sheet, this practice requires added operator time to retrieve the parts from a bin also containing slugs and dust. Additionally, while laser tabs work well in some situations, when the operator removes the sheet from the cutting table he must break each individual part out of the sheet skeleton.
A better solution: The chain-tab technique. Here a group of parts can easily and quickly be removed from the skeleton all at once, instead of as individual parts. Metalformers opting to employ the chain-cutting technique find that they can rapidly remove parts from the pallet and load a new sheet on. They also enjoy quick and easy sep- aration of the parts once they are removed from the skeleton, while also generating less laser dust and spatter that might otherwise require a sec- ondary cleaning process.
We’re also seeing some metalform- ers employing automated part sepa- ration from the skeleton while using the chain-tabbing technique. One method to automate part separation is the use of suction cups on an articulating mechanism, such as a robotic arm or moving gantry system. While cutting of
small parts has always been an automation challenge, by chain tab- bing multiple parts together we can create a unified part large enough for suction cups to attach and remove from the skeleton.
Cut Together, Formed Together
Last but not least, chain-tabbed sheets can allow a metalformer to gang-bend all of the parts simultane-
ously in a press brake (Fig. 3). Obvi- ously this can be a huge time saver when bending large quantities of small parts requiring one or two bends. After bending, the operator simply sepa- rates the individual tabbed parts from the blank (Figs. 4-5).
In the example shown, rather than making 30 bends in the press brake to form the 15 parts, only two strokes of the press-brake ram are required. MF
connect everywhere
Network your factories and offices with SmartPAC 2 and LETS (Line Efficiency Tracking Software)
Take advantage of
SmartPAC 2’s built-in Ethernet connectivity to communicate over your network.
Send and receive text messages, display setup sheets stored on a central server, back up your tools to a remote location, and view pressroom status over the network and internet. When you connect your equipment to LETS, you can collect production data, feed critical parameters reports automatically, view machine status in real time, and schedule a prioritized job queue for each machine.
To learn more about Wintriss Controls, please call 1-800-586-8324 or visit www.wintriss.com. ®2011 Wintriss Controls. All rights reserved.
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