What is it?

The TruPunch 3000 is an automated large format CNC Punch, designed for punching and profiling sheet metal from 0.5mm thick, up to 6mm thick. Materials that can be punched include, but are not limited to:

• Mild Steel
• Aluminium
• Stainless Steel
• Brass
• Copper
• Zintec
• Pre-Galvanised Steel
• Pre-Painted Steel

After a week long installation and training, the punch and sheet loader and tool grinder is now fully operational. The punch has been installed in our extension completed in January 2020, see our post on it at the time here.

As part of the CNC Punch installation, we have taken the opportunity to move our CNC milling machines into the new extension. The desire was to keep them in a cleaner part of the factory to help keep the machines running smoothly and to help workflow through the factory.

Over the coming weeks will be putting up more posts on what this new acquisition means for sheet metal CNC punching at Falcon Precision. Looking more in depth to what is achievable and how this can benefit our end customers. If you wanted to get in touch with us before then we are inviting current customers and their designers into Falcon to better understand how they can implement strong design for manufacture to cut waste and add value to their product/parts.

CNC Laser cutting, CNC punching, CNC machining, welding, metal fabrication, assembly & more all under one roof. Click the link below to contact us directly.

The post New CNC Punch Investment appeared first on Falcon Precision Sheet metal work & Machining in Hampshire.

CNC punching is the process of creating a hole or other shape in a piece of sheet metal by applying a high force through a tool and die, to shear or indent the metal. This process is repeated using a variety of custom precision made tools to make a wide range of parts. Punching is often, but not always, the most efficient way of producing sheet metal parts, though this depends on the part geometry and materials used.

The abbreviation CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. This means that the machine is being controlled by a program (typically G-code), and not an operator. As well as having a CNC punch, Falcon also has a CNC fibre laser and CNC milling machines.

What materials can be CNC punched?

Falcon Precision can punch aluminium, steel, stainless steel, brass, copper and many others. Typically, the maximum thickness we like to punch is 3mm. Whilst we can punch thicker than this, it can dramatically reduce the life span of the tooling used.

CNC punching or laser cutting?

Both manufacturing techniques have their own strengths and weaknesses, and the process we use for your parts will depend on a variety of factors.

CNC punching strengths:

CNC punching diagram

– Generally faster run times – suits larger volumes. Up to 500 punch strokes per minute!

– More economical to produce simple forms. E.g. countersinks, louvres, dimples, thread forming, dunces, bridges, symbols, ribs, locking tabs – the list is endless!

– Can create entire parts in a single punch with custom tooling.

– Cluster tools can be used to punch large grid patterns, creating multiple holes/slots in a single punch stroke.

Laser cutting strengths:

– The space between parts on a sheet is smaller, giving a more economical sheet utilisation which can result in cheaper parts.

– Can cut a wider range of material thicknesses.

– Faster set-up times to suit smaller volumes

– Can laser etch serial numbers, product codes or revision statuses into components for trace ability.

At Falcon we believe it is essential to have both processes to offer a complete manufacturing service to customers.

Tips for CNC punching

– Hole diameters or rectangular slots should be the same gauge as the material thickness.

– Distance between holes/slots/edges should be the same as the material thickness, however we can go smaller in some circumstances if required.

– Some features are not economical to produce on a CNC punch such as convoluted curves. If your part doesn’t have any aesthetic requirements, make sure it uses straight lines and edges in its geometry so it is suitable for CNC punching.

– It can take less than 0.5 seconds to countersink a hole on a CNC punch turret compared to roughly 10-15 seconds for an operator to manually enter one on a pillar drill. To benefit from these cost

CNC punch turret

savings, make sure the rest of your part is suitable for CNC punching.

– Cluster tools can punch a number of holes in a grid at the same time, drastically reducing run times. This can be used very effectively for ventilation grilles or LED panels.

– As a CNC punch typically takes longer to set up compared to a laser cutter, consider increasing your order volumes to reduce the unit price. This will also reduce the amount of distortion in the part.

– Punch forming can produce some useful features very economically. Louvres for air vents, dimples for locating positions, bridges for slide rails or back stops can all be produced in a matter of seconds.

– If your part is smaller than 88.9mm in diameter (3.5″), we may be able to punch it in one punch stroke with custom tooling. If you are buying parts in their hundreds this is an often underused technique to help economise, however it may not be perfectly flat.

– Some customers have worked with Falcon to help create a ‘nest’ of their parts, similar to how a model of a plane would come in a box. The customer benefits from having a economical collection of parts which they can ‘break-out’ and use as required. This also works with laser cutting.

For more tips on sheet metal design, visit our latest in a series of new design pages here:

The post CNC Punching Design Tips appeared first on Falcon Precision Sheet metal work & Machining in Hampshire.

Datron M35

Falcon’s high speed 3-axis Datron M35 was first bought in 2004 and has since gone through a number of upgrades to keep pace with customer demand. The recent upgrade includes a brand new 60,000rpm 2kw digital spindle and a new water cooling system. This enables the operator to remove more material per cut, decreasing machining time and cost to the customer. The new water cooling system keeps the spindle from overheating, improving accuracy and reducing maintenance downtime.

The Datron M35 is perfect for sheet metal machining, allowing customers to mill pockets, chamfer edges or engrave text onto thin sheet metal. The high speed of the spindle means the cutter leaves a high quality surface finish, making it ideal for engraving front panels, modifying plastic enclosures or machining bespoke heat sinks.

Dugard Eagle 760

The Dugard Eagle 760 is our heavier duty 3-axis mill. Designed for taking heavier cuts, it is used for machining small to medium sized aluminium and steel billets. We manufacture high quality custom enclosures, precision brackets, large heat sinks and can modify cast boxes.

By having on site CNC machining capabilities, Falcon can react to orders fast as a one-stop service for customers. This means we can modify sheet metal parts without having to fit in with a sub-contractors work schedule. Other customers benefit from us making sure that their sheet metal lid fits perfectly with their machined enclosure. Falcon have been manufacturing sheet metal components for 30 years and have been CNC machining for 15 years. Few companies on the south coast can boast this level of experience and expertise. And with our customers returning year after year, we may see further investment in this area soon.

Get in contact with us using the button below to see why our customers return year after year.

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