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:

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1. Reduced lead times

This is the number one reason why companies stick with UK manufacturing, consistently low lead times. We regularly have customers needing a rush job due to an unexpectedly long lead time from another country. Our customers are regularly quoted 8-14 weeks, often coming out more, whilst our lead time is just four weeks. We know of customers who have missed delivery deadlines due to receipt of late parts and have then had to air freight the parts despite only quoting for sea-freight. These types of situations can quickly add on tens of thousands, very often as a hidden cost that shows up when it’s too late.

2. The ‘green’ option

As much as has been written about UK manufacturing in recent years, more has been written about human impact on the environment. It is not just the shipping of your products that have an impact on the environment, it is the way in which those parts are made. There are numerous studies which show how product/material recycling, packaging and processing is more environmentally efficient than having parts made in a number of countries abroad.

3. Tighter control over quality

We regularly welcome designers, buyers and quality control inspectors into Falcon to go through our processes. For the majority of our customers this can be done in less than two hours and is well worth it. In January 2019 we shipped over 50,000 parts with a reject rate of less than 0.3%.

4. Smaller MOQ

More and more companies are moving over to a ‘leaner’ production structure and understand the hidden costs and drawbacks of stock. Due to our low MOQ set-up, our customers are able to react quickly to demands and opportunities as they arise, very often winning them more business.

5. No hidden fees

There are no import fees, taxes or air-freight charges when you buy from us. Over 99% of our parts are either delivered by one of our vehicles, or are shipped for overnight delivery.

To see how UK sheet metal manufacturing can help your company’s requirements, click the link below to contact us directly.

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1) Minimum Bend Radius

The minimum bend radius of a part must be the same as the thickness of the material being formed. We can bend parts to a variety of radii but the minimum must be the same as the thickness of the material. Consider what is required for your design; using the minimum bend radius is considered standard for the industry but a larger radius will generally give a stronger part.

      Bend Radius Example

2) Minimum Edge Distance

Keep all holes and cut-outs at least the thickness of the material away from other edges. It is possible to go under this recommendation with some materials but this is a good starting point.

     Minimum Edge Distance Example

3) Design for Punch or Laser?

This consideration is often overlooked at the design stage and is regularly just an afterthought. Punching a part will almost always be cheaper than laser cutting, however laser cutting allows more convoluted shapes and can generally cut thinner gaps than a punch. Does your part have a lot of countersunk holes? It takes less than 0.5 seconds to countersink a hole on a punch, whilst it takes 12 seconds for a pillar drill to do the same job! Try to design for punch if that is the case by changing over to a simpler design with less curves.

Counterpunch Example

4) Design for Scan Cut

Falcon Precision are known for being specialists in fabricating boxes for the computer industry. A common design feature of this type of work is a large number of rectangular cut-outs that are often used for air vents or grills. This feature is perfect for Falcon’s Bystronic Fibre Laser ‘Scan Cut’ feature, which can cut steel parts much faster than the normal pierce cut > outline cut method used most of the time. Many of Falcons customers benefit from the reduced laser time on their parts; see the video below for a display of what scan cutting can do (seconds 0>20).

Scan Cut Example

To use this feature, parts must be made from mild steel or stainless, and must be no thicker than 1.5mm.

5) Take advantage of our In-house CNC Milling

Very often computer cases have a dozen sheet metal components, yet customers commonly only interact with the front panel. Make your products stand out from the competition by having your company logo engraved on the front face, or incorporate a small recess to perfectly house that custom connector. The ‘feel’ of the product is often what makes it, so make sure your product doesn’t fall short in this area.

CNC Milled Front Panel

For more on sheet metal design at Falcon, click on the link below.

Design & Reverse Engineering

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Falcon currently offer 3 work-shifts to our production employees, a day shift, a night shift and an early shift to cover the early hours of the morning. The night shift is set up to run the ‘key’ manufacturing cells like the fibre laser, CNC punch and CNC folding. Their work brief is to target the long running, larger orders where the production workflow has been tried and tested. This allows the early shift and the day shift to concentrate on the new jobs or rush jobs to hit a customers deadline. This system has proven a hit with many of our customers, but equally importantly it also benefits our staff who can work on a shift pattern that suits their lifestyle.

Bystronic Laser

Fast reaction times

24 hour production allows Falcon to react quickly to customers needs. Our current lead time is just 4 weeks, however we regularly hit tighter deadlines when it is required. It allows us to design a part for a customer during the day, then have a prototype or pre-production worked on over night ready for inspection or testing at the earliest opportunity.

To see how Hampshire’s leading sheet metal manufacturing company can help your requirements, click the link below to contact us directly.

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Falcon Precision have recently completed our successful transition to the new ISO 9001:2015 standards.

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised standard that specifies requirements for a high level quality management system (QMS).

The standard is based on a number of principles applicable to any successful business such as customer focus, leadership, risk management and continual improvement. The benefits of this QMS are experienced mutually by both Falcon and it’s customers:

• Cost reductions – The methods in the ISO 9001 standard enables Falcon to streamline the sheet metal fabrication process, without affecting product or service quality, therefore reducing costs.

• Productivity improvements – By following best practice, ISO 9001 certification ensures all Falcon employees understand their roles within the organisation, reducing margin for error.

• Customer loyalty – ISO 9001 certification enables Falcon to continuously meet the needs of our customer, increasing customer satisfaction.

We are always aiming to improve all procedures and standards of our business at Falcon Precision. This ISO 9001:2015 certification will help guide decisions that will benefit ourselves as well as our large customer base.

Click here to view our ISO9001:2015 Certificate

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