There’s no question, this is a tough market. Staying ahead of the competition is a given and when that pressure is reinforced by overseas competition, Canadian shops engaged in punching operations need that extra edge to remain efficient, competitive and profitable.

Automation is a key aspect of that strategy and this issue is raised by the manufacturers who commented on the latest advances in punching technology and how Canadian operations can best upgrade their equipment and maximize the output of their current machinery.

When to upgrade is crucial and it has to be done right meaning many factors need to be considered when deciding on long-term capital expenditures.

Mike Kroll, TRUMPF Inc.’s TruPunch and TruMatic Product Manager spoke to Canadian metalworking magazine regarding punching machines.

When asked if punching is often considered a low-value operation easily off-shored to low cost manufacturers, and what Canadian manufacturers can do to reduce production costs in punching to stay competitive, he replied, “Secondary operations drive up costs of finished parts. Off-shore, low-cost manufacturers are able to manually complete these operations by hiring inexpensive labour to handle these tasks. Punch machine fabricators have to incorporate the ability to complete these operations on their machines. Today’s equipment can tap holes up to 0.375-inch diameter, bend flanges up to 1-inch high, deburr parts, and provide shear cut edges on punch parts giving them the highest possible quality. Manufacturers also design parts in thinner gauge materials to save costs on raw material. Stiffening ribs and offsets add rigidity to the part without adding costs,” he says.

Long Production Runs:

“Designers are also designing parts to eliminate welds and include more bends. Eliminating welds reduces the need to clean up secondary operations associated with welds on parts. Machines also offer scratch free processing to eliminate secondary cleanup of parts. Low cost manufacturers cannot afford to invest in this high-end equipment which is gradually eliminating their ability to remain competitive.”

Is automation restricted to long production runs and captive operations or can a job shop benefit? Kroll explains, “Automation is definitely not restricted to long production runs. Today’s fabricators nest and kit dissimilar parts, stage multiple material thicknesses and types to process short run jobs more quickly and easily. The addition of automation into a punch processing system allows the operator the flexibility to run more than one system. An operator can now be focused on staging materials and maintaining tooling for multiple machines instead of being dedicated to one manually operated machine,” he says. “Adding automation in a job shop environment also allows the flexibility of an operator to run different types of sheet metal fabrication equipment. A good example of this is while an automated punching cell is processing parts, the same machine operator can simultaneously be bending parts on a press brake. “

And when does a shop know when it’s time to upgrade equipment for higher productivity? Kroll notes, “New technology for sheet metal fabrication equipment models evolve approximately every 10 years. A reason for this is due to some of the components used to drive this equipment. Computers are used to position the coordinate measurements of these machines and as computers get faster so does the equipment wher it is installed.

“Let’s think about punching equipment at the turn of the century,” he stresses. “ Machine punched holes at 900 hits per- minute, rotated tools at 1 revolution per second, high-speed mark at 1,700 strokes per minute, and had positioning speeds of approximately 4,300 inches per-minute. Today comparable models punch holes at 1,400 hits per-minute, rotate at 5.5 revolutions per second, high speed mark at 2,800 strokes per- minute, and have positioning speeds of 4,600 inches per minute. This equates to an average of 50 per cent increase in processing speed.”

Rotate The Tools:

Hanif Esmail, of HACO Canada Inc., says that in terms of remaining competitive by reducing punching costs, “Canadian manufacturers must look beyond reducing their production cost of punching a part. With versatility in the latest punching technologies they can also reduce the price of the final product. The HACO Q Series punching machines are equipped with options that allow operations such as bending, tapping, forming and rolling, thus rendering unnecessary, a secondary operation at another machine and less secondary manipulations = lower price/part costs.

He adds that automatic tool lubrication on the machine and regular regrinding of tools can dramatically increase the lifetime of the tool and “using advanced programming software like HACO’s easy to use HACO Punch Pro and HACO management software module with high advanced auto-nesting capability, eliminate expensive set-up costs and minimizes wastage. Using a machine with an auto index punching head that rotates all the tools is one of the key benefits of reducing the production costs.”

Esmail stresses that the majority of conventional turret punching machines on the market “use only a few auto index stations ( e.g. 4 auto index)” and that the  HACO Q series punching machines use ATC (automatic tool changer) and a single punching head with auto index system that rotates all the tools at high speed.

“Rotating all tools reduces the number of tools for a job from 40 up to 70 per cent,” he says. “There is also much more flexibility in the use of the tooling. If the designer wants to change the punch part, he just programs another angle and it’s done. Due to indexation of all the tools, all programs can be rotated under every angle during nesting and that translates into less scrap material, maximum sheet usage, and once again reducing production costs.

“Single head punching machines with automatic tool changers (ATC) like the HACO Q series,” he adds, “require less maintenance in comparison to conventional turret punching machines. This includes reduction/elimination of: periodic alignment of the upper and lower turret, replacing the spring packs on the tooling with positive clamps, and replacing the tool guiding bushings inside the turret. Having a machine with a flexible tool system leads to tangible cost reductions at the end of the day.”

When To Upgrade:

On the importance and role of automation for long production runs and captive operations, Esmail says:

“Job shops can benefit through automation as long as the level of automation is realistic to the needs of the customer. Another aspect is the flexibility of the automation system as automations are sometimes built for a specific product. Having an automated system that is flexible, easy to program and allows for quick set up time is essential.

“Manipulation of big sheet sizes requires multiple operators and this can be avoided with the use of loading and unloading systems. CNC punching machines run automatically.  If the loading and unloading is still manual, an operator is required to be next to the machine, especially when punching out small programs. Sometimes only a short period of time is required to complete a program. If the operator has to load/unload the machine it does not make sense to give him a second job (e.g. welding, bending) if he will be distracted every few minutes.”

When queried on how a shop can measure when it’s time to upgrade equipment for higher productivity, Esmail replied,  “Generally a system upgrade is necessary when the following is experienced: increased labour costs from equipment maintenance/failures, and product corrections/rejects; increased production costs from equipment maintenance/failure, downtime and wastage; reductions in orders or revenues as these may now may be going to the competition with modern versatile automated systems; and delays in completion and deliveries.”

Dan McIntyre, LVD Strippit’s Punching Product Sales Manager put forward these thoughts on automation and punching: “Automation is not necessarily restricted to long production runs, though that is the more traditional application. Today’s sophisticated nesting software and more capable punch press equipment combined with a greater range of automation options allow job shops to harness the productivity of automation.

“Assuming a shop standardizes on a 4-ft x 8-ft blank,” he adds, “with the use of current nesting software it’s possible to nest dissimilar parts from different jobs and even different customers on the same material blank. Add to this a high-capacity 48-station turret that allows more tools to reside in the machine, reducing tool changeover time. This creates a perfect environment for automated production wher throughput is high and changeover is low. “

The Ultimate Solution:

McIntyre believes that the “ultimate solution for a job shop is a compact tower system that holds up to 10 shelves of material available to load at any time. So, with the use of current nesting software, maximizing material usage and working with dissimilar parts or jobs on a high capacity punch press, and presenting that material using a standard load/unload system or a compact tower, a job shop is able to capture the benefits of automation, processing a variety of different jobs.”