Page 24 - MetalForming-Nov-2018-issue

FABRICATION
Time-Saving
Tooling Tricks for Punching
Machines
New and time-tested tools and techniques promise increased punch-press productivity for job shops.
Job-shop fabricators face a formi- dable task in serving customers who need quality parts quickly, now more than ever in smaller quantities with custom features, and at the right price. Remember when two out of three—quality, delivery speed and price—was good enough to maintain business? We’ve entered into the “three out of three is a must” world.
To address such challenges, while struggling to find and retain skilled employees, fabricators have adopted automated production machinery and software that can oversee plant-wide operations. And, searching anywhere to remove wasted time—and the result- ant wasted money and lost work— they’ve focused on punch-press tool storage and replacement to save pre- cious minutes, and found new ways to employ existing tools.
John Johnson, punching product manager for Wilson Tool International
(www.wilsontool.com) lays out this scenario, then forwards punch-press- tooling timesavers for the readers of MetalForming.
“Lean manufacturing continues to be a large focus for fabricating com- panies,” Johnson says, noting that Wil- son Tool conducts numerous lean sem- inars, with attendees often challenged to maintain momentum along the lean path. “Many struggle with this com- mitment and end up in a stop-and- restart situation. But the benefits of lean are so appealing that they con- tinue to strive.”
Given that, Johnson offers solutions for those looking to stay on the lean path by streamlining punch-press oper- ations via tool techniques.
Employ Quick Tool Change
Tool maintenance and setup provide numerous opportunities for lean ini- tiatives and increased productivity.
Features such as tool-free punch-length adjustment and simplified punch-tip removal, as offered in the tool shown here, help reduce downtime for time- challenged job shops.
“Traditionally, when a punch became dull, it had to be removed from the assembly, sent to a grinding oper- ation for sharpening and then placed back into the assembly, all done man- ually,” says Johnson. “Over the years, timesaving features have been added to punching-machine tools to improve the process. For example, Wilson Tool provides tool-free punch-length adjust- ment in our HP2 line of tooling, where a spring-pack assembly delivers punch- length adjustment within or outside of the machine.”
Another timesaver, simplified punch-tip removal, can be found in newer punching-machine tooling.
22 MetalForming/November 2018
www.metalformingmagazine.com
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SENIOR EDITOR