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There’s a formula for creating quality punches. The engineering techniques also apply to the dies for tool making that perform flawlessly during their extended lifespans. Principally speaking, the key is to never accept anything less than the best. Unfortunately, sheet material manufacturers also using that approach. If tooling technology stands still, these improved raw metals […]

What is a roll pin? There’s a simple answer to that question, which is just as well because we need to get back to the issue at hand. Roll pins are cylindrically shaped fasteners. Forced through aligned openings, the pins anchor boreholes and lock them in place. As for Roll pin punches, well, these are […]

CAD/CAM technology is spreading into every sector. In other words, this tech isn’t reserved for industrial applications. Sure, Computer Aided Design software dazzles as it produces incredibly detailed stainless steel components, but imagine Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) as a fabrication aide in other industries. In dentistry, for example, CAD machines produce super-detailed dental prostheses. How, […]

Metal fabrication is one of the largest industries in the engineering world. The reason? Metal fabrication allows for companies to effectively, safely, and quickly punch, cut, and bend metal into the form needed for their products. From motor vehicles to skyscrapers, metal fabrication is a necessary aspect of our day-to-day lives. The power of this […]

Punching and blanking runs are two entirely different processes. Using sheet metal to illustrate that assertion, two singular products pop out of the production line. Let’s start with the punching equipment. The sheet metal is struck repeatedly by the tool, waste is stamped free, and the sheet is crammed full of geometrically detailed openings. This […]

In punch machinery, maximising process efficiency takes more than the ability to squeeze multiple cut sites onto a single sheet of hardened metal. There are other ways to tighten the production cycle. Case in point, the punch material itself is a process performance enhancer. Then there are innovative tool head aids, precisely driven work surfaces, […]

Before writing down a compelling argument, one that explains why punches and dies are formed from hardened super-alloys, we should talk a little about vacuum heat treatment. First and foremost, what happens inside the airless furnace? Well, air is sucked out of the heated chamber, then an inert gas replaces the air. But why go […]

Made in Australia, toughened metal parts gain an edge when they’re coated in zinc. It’s true, a high-tensile support strut or hardened fastener will anchor a super-heavy load, but that mechanical strength can be undermined. Crippled by water, and time, strong alloys corrode. Here in Melbourne, where the coastal salt air drifts far, a zinc […]

There’s no need to get ahead of ourselves, no desire to put the proverbial cart before the horse, so let’s define an EDM Spark Eroding Machine before taking it apart and explaining its various inner workings. This is Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), a manufacturing technique that uses a special sparking electrode to cut intricate shapes […]

Sophisticated punches and dies indent metal surfaces with clearly detailed outlines. The marks are precise, easy to identify, and they repeatedly stamp out identical tags. It seems like these hardened alloy tools will last forever. Regrettably, nothing lasts forever, not even a super-toughened punch. The punch press is making more noise than it should, and […]