Stampers Achieve Superior Results With Impax Thread Form Tools

Custom built tools provide greater accuracy, better fit for sheet metal screws

WHITE BEAR LAKE, MINN. (November 13, 2005) – Impax Tooling Solutions is the only tool supplier that custom builds thread form tools to exact customer specifications. Custom tools provide a significant advantage to stampers who need more accurate tools to meet precise engineering requirements.

Thread forms--the stamped helical spirals that fasten sheet metal screws without additional parts or assembly--are often indispensable to stampers. They provide a level of cost- and time-savings that's hard to match. But the difference between a custom built tool from Impax Tooling Solutions and one that's built to fit a range of screw sizes is dramatic, providing a better fit and resulting in a superior finished product.

The Custom Tool Advantage
The typical thread form tool is built to fit a range of screw thread sizes. Using this technique, some screws fit tight while others may be less secure. Impax Tooling Solutions eliminates this problem by custom engineering every thread form tool. When customers order a thread form tool from Impax, they know that every screw will always hold firm.

Impax also generates a tool print when designing a thread form tool. This print is archived and readily available to speed tool reorders and ensure exact replacement tooling.

Tool Test Runs Ensure Flawless Stamping
Prior to shipping, Impax test runs each thread form tool, ensuring that it not only works, but works exceptionally well. A sample of the stamped thread form is shipped with every order. Impax carries a standard stock of sheet metals for testing. For more specialized materials, stampers can provide a sample piece to Impax.

Coin & Form or Pierce & Form in One Hit
When sheet metal is too thick for the pitch of the screw thread, a coining operation may solve the problem by thinning the sheet. But while other thread form punches require a separate setup for coining, Impax's innovative tooling allows for one step coin and forms, significantly reducing production time.

Impax tools can also pierce the hole and create the thread form in a single hit, resulting in fewer holes in die sets, reduced labor costs and shorter lead times on jobs. One-hit thread form tools are available in many thread types, but not for materials in which coining is required.

M2 and M4 Steels Standard
To maximize tool life and minimize downtime, thread form tools must offer a quality tool steel standard. All headed Impax thread form tools are engineered with M2, and all ball lock tools are made with M4. Both are powder metallurgy steels providing high levels of wear resistance, toughness and compression strength. Impax also offers alternate steels such as 3V and 10V to ensure you get the best results in your application.

Success Stories

Lennox International®, a worldwide leader in heating and cooling products, has realized the advantages of Impax thread form tools. With Impax, they get the fit they need to withstand high torque levels.

"Impax's custom design concept provides a tight fit that doesn't strip out under high torque levels," said Don Zimmer, manager of tool engineering at Lennox International. "I've researched the market and Impax offers the best option available for thread forms today."

In-Sink-Erator®, the world's largest manufacturer of food waste disposers, needed to procure more accurate thread form tools to fit new engineering specifications. Only Impax could meet their needs.

"Impax was the only supplier willing and able to reach the level of precision we require," said Dave Mau, Senior Advanced Manufacturing Engineer at In-Sink-Erator. "The Impax team worked tirelessly to overcome the obstacles we faced and developed a tool that provided a more precise fit. We were able to meet the new, more stringent torque specifications with Impax thread forms."

About Impax Tooling Solutions
Impax Tooling Solutions® (www.impaxtoolingsolutions.com) is a leading manufacturer of premium quality punch and die components for the stamping industry. Impax Tooling Solutions is a division of Wilson Tool International® (www.wilsontool.com), a leading provider of tooling solutions that enhance the performance of sheet metal fabricating machinery worldwide. In addition to Impax Tooling Solutions, Wilson Tool International is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of tooling systems for punch presses and press brakes. Products are manufactured at their world headquarters in White Bear Lake, Minn., USA, and their European facility in Swindon, England. Wilson Tool’s network of sales engineers and international distributors operate in virtually every industrialized nation around the globe.