Tool Blocks |
What's special about this tool block is that it's all one piece. See the ribs on both sides? Both punches and dies are held in this heat-treated cast steel block, which keeps them in line, regardless of slide clearance or press load distribution.
Keeping those harmful lateral forces under control greatly extends the life of the tools.
In addition, this precise punch-to-die alignment improves the concentricity
of the parts.
Should the block ever wear out, simply replace it and precision is restored.
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Contact Times |
| The contact times between tools and hot metal is extremely short.
When you're running a medium-size part the punches touch the hot parts for only about .05 seconds.
Not much time for heat transfer. So thermal shock, the worst enemy of long tool life is virtually nonexistent on the Hotmatic. Heat fluctuations in the tooling are very low.
That incidentally, explains why most Hotmatics are run at top speed. The faster they run, the longer the tools last. |
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While the iron is hot |
At 140 or 200 strokes a minute the three forming operations are completed in one to one-and-a-half-seconds.
That's too fast for the metal to lose any heat. It remains fully forgeable right to the end. Or, as the engineer would say, "the deformation resistance remains low", and so does wear and tear on the tools. No wonder they last long.
Since all the forming work is done at the most favorable temperature, you can easily move a lot of metal. |
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Effective Cooling |
The Hotmatic sports a highly effective circulation cooling system. Every punch, every die, and everything else that touches the hot metal is cooled intensely with ordinary water, so that any heat absorbed is dissipated immediately.
Cooling water flow can be regulated individually with metering valves for every cooling point. Each punch and each die gets just the right amount of water -- no more, no less.
Feed rolls, stationary cutter blade and dies are cooled from inside. Punches and dies are showered by a battery of spray pipes and sprinkler rings.
Additional nozzles are mounted on the punch flicker. After each stroke they nod during the return of the slide and cool the punch noses. |
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