CNC PUNCHING

CNC punching is one of the profile-forming methods that Technicraft can offer. We use this state-of-the-art punch press, to manufacture complex components. We can produce them simply and efficiently in mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium. This process lends itself to being the most cost-effective method of producing many types of components. We can form hinges, louvres, coining and counter sinking with a hit rate of 320 hits per minute.

CNC PUNCHING AS A CHOICE

We would have manufactured component shapes in days gone using hand-held cutting processes. This would have resulted in parts which had moderate accuracy and a low-quality finish. We draw parts accurately off-line using CNC and CAD/CAM and convert them into the data required to move the CNC punch to the correct coordinates to produce a complex profile.

EFFICIENCY OF CNC PUNCHING

Prior to components being produced on the CNC punching machine, the CAD/CAM software can position the same parts or dissimilar parts onto a sheet of metal using a process called nesting, where intricate parts are positioned as close to each other as possible resulting in very little wasted material and lowering the cost of each component.

THE PROCESS OF CNC PUNCHING

Punching uses a two-part tool. Punching uses a two-part tool. The punch is the top tool and the lower tool is the die. The punch tool consists of a sleeve around the punch stem itself.  The machine has a powerful ram that strikes the sheet. The heavy-duty spring mounted on its top pulls the punch back out. This leaves the desired hole size or shape in the sheet. The die under the sheet, accurately follows the punch tool.  The blank, or slug, is the remnant of the hole. We retain the blank at this stage of the process. A CNC punch machine holds as many as 32 tools in one turret.  We can produce any complete shape with the machine’s nibbling action. A large amount of force is required to drive the punch through the material. Because of this, we consider material thickness when choosing CNC punching.

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