On occasion, CNC punching machines will get the call to process materials 1/4" or thicker, with applications including automotive treadplates, for example, and part production for agricultural and other industries. At the extreme end, producing electrical busbars sometimes means punching copper or aluminum as thick as 1/2".
Whether a harder steel or a softer aluminum, thick is thick, and thick material presents unique challenges, with two real possibilities: tool breakage on impact due to shock; and tool breakage during the longer-lasting stripping process. So what’s a fabricator to do? Fortunately, solutions exist, offers Susan Erler, punching product manager for Wilson Tool International. “CNC punching may include using 16- or 14-gauge material for electrical boxes, computer chassis or cabinets,” Erler says. “Occasionally, you'll see 10-gauge material and think, ‘Oh boy, that's thick.’ Well, busbar fabricators think that working 1/4" material is like punching butter.”
Butter it’s not, of course, and the vast majority of fabricators find thick material a tricky proposition. But don’t despair, as Erler offers seven tool tips for successful thick-sheet punching, with this caveat: “Thick, mild steel acts similarly all of the time. Thick, softer materials such as copper, aluminum and brass, react differently. They sometimes require a trial-and-error approach.”
Read the full article in Metalforming Magazine.
May 28, 2020