Machines don’t have to be brand new to produce quality desired results. But you do have to keep good care for them. With a press brake machine, producing good results won’t be a likely scenario if it has an upset ram. It is an integral part of the press brake machine. And if that has a problem, it can hinder your whole production process. Hence, it is important to practice proper maintenance practice to maximize its shelf life.
From where the problem arises?
Sheet metal fabrications, while going through the press brake machine, change its shape from a sheet into a three-dimensional shape. If those bends are not straight, the final assembly won’t go the right way. If you do not maintain your press brake machine, the bend follows a curved line rather than a straight one that is “canoeing”.
In order to avoid that, here are the seven most common press brake mistakes we should avoid to ensure its smooth working.
- Not Taking Care of Gibs
Gibs are the small components of the press brake machines. They lead the ram and tool as it makes movements. If you neglect its regular maintenance, the ram can twist and jam. Hence, it is important to adjust Gibs regularly and provide proper lubrication from time to time.
- Lubrication of the Machine
Apart from lubricating the gibs of the press brake, it is important to apply lubrication to other parts of the press brakes as well. If not then it may lead to metal-on-metal contact which causes wear and reduces the force available for the actual bending metal.
At the same time, lubricating does not mean slapping on too much grease. It even means not putting on the wrong type of lubricant in the wrong place. Applying excessive grease means attracting dust and metal fragments. It may cause sliding surfaces which would accelerate wear, causing seal leaks.
The key here is to maintain a machine with a film of oil on it. Because if it is too thick, it may increase drag and not penetrate between components.
Here are some other mistakes we should be avoiding while using, assembling or selecting press brakes.
- Placing parts too close
Fabricators often do this to bend radius. But while putting features too close to the bend radius or at the edge of the die opening would change the features. They may no longer be able to hold necessary hardware near the bend radius. The position of the features should be according to their thickness. And lastly, if the feature has to be nearer to the bend than recommended, our advice would be you extend the opening past the bend line. And if you are already facing this problem, you can search for Amada press brake for sale or used Amada press brake on the internet to find the right part or machine.
- Forming offsets too close to one another
If you set the Offsets that are too close to one another, they won’t be producing standard press brake tooling. Plus, these offsets would require special tooling that is not worth the extra expense for low volume orders. Refer to this image to choose the suitable standard offset size. You can contact your engineer if your measurement is outside of this table
- Not changing the hydraulic fluid
Most press brakes have complex systems. And as time goes, hydraulic fluid would become contaminated with dirt, air, and water. It would limit the load that the press can apply. It reduces the lifetime value of the key components of the press brake. Hence, it is important to regularly change the fluid.
- Upsetting the ram
When you apply uneven forces or if the load is too high, you can upset the ram. The root cause of this issue is its position while bending the metal which is not in the right place or not in the center. It is important to note that if the metal is too thick or not enough load is there, it could hurt the ram as well.
- A bend radius that is too tight for the material
Keeping your radius right is paramount. If it is too tight, it can cause a permanent deformity that alerts the dimensions of the part. It is important to understand that different metals have minimum bend radius-to-thickness ratios. Hence, the harder the metal, the greater the minimum bend radius.
Machinery parts for the press brakes are sensitive. If not cared for properly, that time is not far when you would need to rebuild the whole machine.
It is a must to avoid the above-mentioned mistakes for a full-proof and versatile press brake. If you are starting over, you can try searching Amada press brake for sale or used Amada press brake over the internet to find the products which would help you put together a quality press brake machine.
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