Page 30 - MetalForming November 2014

Sharp Tools
Prepared for Punching Duty
Johnson & Star-
ley Ltd. manufac-
tures energy-efficient
heating and ventilation
equipment. Sheetmetal
panels, the majority 0.9- and
1.2-mm mild steel, are punched using semi-shearing, hole-punching and embossing tools.
Punch-press tool sharpening can be complex and time consuming, particularly when fabricators carry in inventory hundreds of tools needed for different jobs. Having tools in pristine punching condition, ready for the press, ensures quality parts and fast production.
mended upgrading to the Premia system. “Previously, we used a surface grinder to sharpen tools,” continues Yates. “While it did the job, it was a slow process. When compared to how we sharpen now, we realize how diffi- cult the job really was. Also, the old surface grinder was located in a facto-
ry area not easily accessible.”
Upon Further Review
The new sharpening machine includes a 12.60-in.-dia. rotary table that tilts from 0 to 12 deg.; 3.3-kW motor; 7.8-in.-dia. grinding wheel with through-the-wheel coolant delivery; and a dual-stage filtering process. Among the punch-press tools used at J&S: shearing, semi-shearing, hole punching and embossing. Workpiece materials comprise mild and stainless steels, with the majority being 0.9- and 1.2-mm mild steel.
“Upon delivery of the Premia, Mate
At Johnson & Starley Ltd. ( J&S), Northampton, UK, a manufac- turer of energy-efficient warm- air heating and ventilation solutions, new CNC punch-press tool-sharpening equipment (a Premia model from Mate Precision Tooling) has brought about major improvements in tooling main- tenance, while increasing the readi- ness of tooling for ongoing punching projects.
Not much of a headline grabber in fabricating circles over the years, tool sharpening was an activity fabricators performed merely to “keep on punch- ing.” All of that is changing, at J&S and other fabricators, as they focus more attention on sharpening as a way to make the punching process faster and
more precise and repeatable.
This new era in tool sharpening also
meshes well with continuous-improve- ment programs, and J&S exemplifies that ideal by experiencing measurable results that translate into bottom-line improvements. With its new tool-sharp- ening machine in place, J&S has real- ized many benefits, including reduced maintenance time, extended tool life and making the sharpening chore far simpler for workers to perform.
“Our continuous-improvement pro- gram had us looking at all areas of our fabricating operations, and tool sharp- ening came under scrutiny,” says Chris Yates, J&S managing director. “When we discussed this with our Mate Tooling representative, Craig Letty, he recom-
28 MetalForming/November 2014
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