Page 20 - MetalForming November 2013

The CNC Punch Press Productivity Push
Twenty five years ago, Tim Brady started his career in metal fabricating as an applications engineer, focused on helping fabricators leverage technology to drive productivity and quality initiatives. Today he’s a product manager with Amada, specializing in CNC punch-press and tooling technology. We leveraged his background and industry experience to learn a few tips fabricators can use to optimize throughput and quality from their CNC punch presses.
Tip one, says Brady: Focus on sequencing, and the order of tool selection. “Many of the programming software prod- ucts on the market feature automatic optimization rou- tines,” he notes, “yet not every shop uses them. There are two basic programming methods. The first is used to punch out an entire, single part in a nest of similar parts, continuing on to the remaining parts in the sheet. While this proves con- venient for performing a first-piece inspection, it does not
Today’s punch presses are incredibly fast and accurate, sometimes beyond belief. But the real payoff from these prolific part producers comes when shops focus on sequence optimization, commonline cutting and use of special tools.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
always result in the most efficient program.
“The second programming method,” Brady continues,
“develops the optimum tool path needed to punch an entire nest on the sheet.”
Best practice, when first-piece inspection is required: Use both programming methods, says Brady, so that the fabricator can perform a first-piece inspection and then switch to the optimized program to produce full sheets as quickly and efficiently as possible, minimizing tool changes and movement across the sheet.
Accuracy and dimensional tolerances are a whole differ- ent ballgame, and Brady also has advice here.
“To optimize accuracy from your CNC punching machine, the order in which the last few hits are made is critical,” he says. “Always make the longest parting hits the final hits in the sequence across the sheet, as you liberate parts or make microtabs. This will keep the sheet as rigid as possible. Also,
18 MetalForming/November 2013
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