8 Benefits of Press Brakes

Press brakes are essential equipment that helps fabricators to create formed parts, including brackets, enclosures, channels, structural forms, ductwork, and custom projects. You can easily find them in every fabrication job shop and many machine shops. Their versatility allows them to be useful for many applications. They help fabricators and operators bend sheet metals and create new items of different shapes and forms.

It is equally important to invest in good quality machine parts as it is to invest in good quality press brakes. Amada parts, Hypertherm parts, etc., are good examples for buying quality machine parts. Before we delve into the benefits of press brakes, let us define what they are.

What are Press Brakes?

They are fabrication tools that are useful to bend a metal sheet or plate by placing it on top of a die and lowering the punch on it. Then through a defined force by tonnage, forcing the material into the die bends a flange up until it achieves the desired form of shape and angle. And, the press brake controller or operator must account for spring back in the material to achieve the correct angle after the removal of pressure. And after the pressure is removed, the ram retracts back to its position.

There are different types of press brakes, and they are classified depending on the type of generation of the bending force. Different types of press brakes include:

• Electric Press Brakes - Belt driven mechanisms move the ram by applying force
• Pneumatic Press Brakes - Light duty brakes for only the thinnest gauge of materials
• Hydraulic Press Brakes - Hydraulics brakes move the ram or bed up/down by applying pressure
• Mechanical Press Brakes - Drives a force applied via a flywheel

8 Benefits of Press Brakes

1. Reduced Material Wastage

Unlike other machines that use lots of material to make the desired items, press brakes boost high-end precision and accuracy results. In addition, this leads to less waste of materials.

2. In-House Forming Capabilities

If you are sourcing your formed parts from outside your facility, you should use press brakes designed to deliver ultimate accuracy that leads to the production of high-quality products. This reduces rejection rates and customer returns with the increase in precision rate and customer satisfaction.

3. Punching

Suppose you own an application that punches a systematic row of holes in a particular part. In that case, you can easily fit a press brake with an individual punch set or a complete die set for punching these holes out accurately and all in one similar stroke. Press brakes can utilize a large part of their overall bending tonnage for punching applications. In addition, offsetting the punch heights lets you get more punches in a line than before.

4. Hemming

The Hemming process is one of the most necessary operations in almost every fabricating shop. Hemming is the process of folding a small portion of the sheet over and then closing it back on itself to create a thicker, durable, and more rigid edge. It also makes a rounded edge for safer material handling. Hemming is essential in the manufacturing of all types of boxes, panels, and covers. A custom toolset or a simple flat hemming die can complete the hemming process.

5. Complex Forming

Amada Press brake for sale can offer unmatched flexibility and cost-effective solutions due to their forming. Combined with a segmented punch, die sets, acute tooling, and sophisticated controls, a press brake forms even complex multi angle parts with ease.

6. Prototype Forming

One of the significant benefits of press brakes is that their setup and tooling are simple. This makes the switching between applications fairly straightforward. It also makes prototype bedding and forming applications a simpler process. Whether you are proving a part or process out, a press brake is a vital tool that allows the parts to complete without any expensive or complex tooling and complicated setups.

7. Automation

Modern press brakes can be automated for increasing productivity, reducing overall labour cost, and improving accuracy. Manufacturers will be happy to know that the press brakes released into the market have various specialized data ports and also other innovative accessories for facilitating automation. Adding material handling to assist the operator in lifting heavy parts can increase productivity and allow for the same result for each and every bend.

8. Flexibility

Unlike other forming processes like folders, a press brake can bend at an extremely wide variety of materials and thicknesses with a wide window of capabilities.

Conclusion

Press brake parts make it easy to manage machines but it is very important to invest in good quality press brakes for smooth and finished end output. Amada parts are the best option you can choose for machine parts. Also, while searching when you see Amada press brake for sale, you know what to do right?

Many of the newer controlled press brakes offer a vast wealth of information in the controllers. Because when the programming is simple and straightforward, it becomes easy for a shop owner to program a job and run a complete 2D or 3D simulation of that bend with the exact information that provides control on the cycle time and material blank sizes.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/8-benefits-of-press-brakes

9 Reasons Why You Should Use Laser Cutting Method

Laser cutting was first used for drilling holes in diamond dies in 1965. It soon evolved, and people started using it within the aerospace industry, where various types of lasers were produced to cut metals and non-metals.

This is basically a popular method of cutting shapes or designs onto metal sheets or other structural materials. The laser beams can be easily directed in the desired way for the required results. 

Benefits of Laser Cutting

 

1. Flexibility

 

One does not need to have a separate setup of tools for separate cuts, and intricate cuts do not cause any problems. You just need to have one set up and can cut many different shapes of the same material and thickness.

 

2. Speed

 

When we talk about complex cuttings, the laser cutting method is much quicker than a traditional cutting method. For example, if we compare thermal cutting methods like plasma/flame cutting with laser cutting then the cutting slot of the plasma cutting machine is a bit larger than the cutting slot of the laser cutting machine. This machine has a faster-cutting speed that can reach 10m/min, and this speed is much faster than the plasma cutter.

 

And if your metal cutting process is completed earlier than time, then your whole back process will move smoothly. Also, it is easier to do more in a small amount of time when one has all the pieces they need to cut and ready to go.

 

3. Precision

 

While cutting the materials, accuracy is one of the primary features to keep an eye on. And this method provides you with the advantage of accurate cutting compared to any other thermal cutting method. It provides you with an accuracy of +/-0.1 mm. This leads to a precisely shaped cut material in the end. Also, you might need no added tolerances while using this method.

 

4. Repeatability

 

+/- 0.05 mm ensures that every other part replicates the previous one precisely. For such accuracy, you need good quality laser parts like Mitsubishi laser parts, Amada laser parts, etc.

 

5. Automation

 

The laser cutting method is highly automated and needs just a small workforce. It needs an experienced machine operator that will play a big role in the final quality outcome and with a little more manual labor at a lower cost. This way, it is far more affordable than the other cutting methods. Many cutting machines even come with feeding systems and follow-up conveyors. However, such setups surely make for a higher-priced laser cutting machine.

 

6. Consistency

 

With precision comes consistency. Laser programming gives you the same cut every single time.

It’s sure to give you what you’re looking for, no matter how large or small a piece is. This is a great bonus if you’re ordering a lot of metal pieces at once or if you can’t afford to get an order shipped to you with a bunch of errors.

 

7. Quality

 

If you are using the right setup, the laser cutters will only leave a small burr. Usually, it is not necessary to remove it. However, it depends on the quality of the material, its thickness, and many other factors. It also has a small heat-affected zone (HAZ). As the microstructure of the HAZ changes, a smaller HAZ area often results in predictable and more reliable parts. Don't forget to do a quality check regularly. This will help you detect the faulty laser parts to replace them with quality Mitsubishi replacement parts.

 

8. Contactless Cutting

 

In this method, only the beam of the laser comes into contact with the material. Thus, there is no mechanical friction that can possibly wear tools.

 

9. Versatility

 

This method is suitable for many different materials like wood, acrylic, MDF, paper, etc., with varying thicknesses. And only one laser cutting machine can be used to perform different jobs and cut different shapes. However, the ability to cut some of these materials totally depends on the power of your laser cutting machine.

 

Additionally, laser marking is another way to use these machines. And laser marking has a lot of applications while producing everyday products.

 

Lastly, this technology is suitable for a variety of profiles. For instance, tube laser cutting can perform the cutting process on anything from box sections to open channels.

Conclusion

With all the above-mentioned benefits, we come to the conclusion that this method is the modern and popular cutting method. It helps one to cut the most tricky shapes on the most challenging materials easily. Thus, installing a laser cutting machine in your manufacturing company will save you time and cost by providing productivity and precise cutting in return.

 

Make sure you invest in good quality parts like Mitsubishi laser parts for the longevity of the machine and accuracy in the result. Also, for replacing your laser parts, in any case, they malfunction, then you can go for Mitsubishi replacement parts. Such quality parts will match your old machine's requirements perfectly.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/9-reasons-why-you-should-use-laser-cutting-method

Top 3 Factors to Consider for Efficient Spare Parts Management

As a plant manager, it is important to recognize effective ways to utilize spare parts efficiently. Spare part inventory management is the foundation for dependable plant operations. And as a plant manager, you should know the process of determining which spare parts you will require for making your system more productive.

Also, you should not forget to consider the quality of the spare parts before investing in them. You should choose quality parts like fanuc parts and fanuc spare parts. And it is best to create a planned approach that provides effective inventory management. Read further to know how?

How to Manage Spare Parts Efficiently?

After analyzing the seven factors below carefully, we can say that considering these tips can help to enhance performance, increase the effectiveness of plant operations, and reduce cost.

1. Operation Strategy

Many businesses adopt a habit of creating an operational plan on the basis of responsive events. The operation strategy needs someone to perform it from a reactive or predictive approach. Here, for performing spare parts management efficiently, you will need to adopt a predictive strategy.

But, completely abandoning a reactive approach is also not an option. The core of successfully managing spare parts lies within the ability to prevent future issues before they occur.

Here are some tips that you should consider for effective inventory management by including operation strategy for spare parts:

• Develop an ability to cover the entire operational scope for the spare part management process. This will include locating and solving significant problems that may arise in the future.
• Use predictive management to help in better usage of resources, reduce the cost, and solve time-related issues.
• Ensure to decode failure patterns as they may help to reveal less visible problems.
• The collection and analysis of data should be relevant for improving your business strategy.

Here are some factors that you can consider while calculating the risk for spare parts:

• Determine the reasons and cost for the shutdown
• Create a cost comparison for purchasing “new vs. old” parts for replacement
• Calculate your firm’s exposure by determining the total cost of one-hour downtime of your firm

2. Effective Inventory Control

Organizing spare parts properly and strongly in secure parts is important to control your inventory efficiently. Proper analysis and review of your storage plus check-out system will reveal a lot about the quality of your inventory control.

Here is what you must do for achieving better control over inventory:

• Develop clear criteria to define, aid, and categorize spares.
• Periodically review all spare parts on different parameters.
• Check if you are holding any excess stock for parts to reduce your overall inventory costs.

3. Stock Parts for New Equipment

We hear company owners often advising that there is no need to invest in spare parts for new equipment. No matter how logical this may sound, it is not at all practical. It is instead a very wrong approach to manage spare parts efficiently.

Because it assumes that the vendor's supply will be faultless and bought machines or parts are good in quality which, however, is not valid in most cases. Thus, keeping a good stock of spare parts is necessary and safe for both new and old machines.

Here are some tips to stock spare parts for new equipment:

• Ask your vendors for a list of recommended critical or sensitive parts of the machines they just sold you.
• Work with the operations division to ensure that the budget includes funds for spare parts.
• Utilize all the available information for improving decisions on parts that are necessary to stock.

Final Words

An accurate and efficient spare part management promotes parts usage to be more responsive and proactive for meeting your operational demands. You can save money by pre-stocking the vital parts of your machines. This will save you plenty of time on non-functioning machines. Make sure you stock quality parts like fanuc parts for machines and fanuc spare parts for safety.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/top-3-factors-to-consider-for-efficient-spare-parts-management

Top 3 Safety Practices for Plasma Cutting

Plasma cutting is one of the most simple, popular, and economical cutting methods. But if not handled with care, it will lead to unexpected severe hazards. So, to reap its benefits and increase productivity without any accidents, you should follow some safety practices. The foremost safety step to take is investing in good quality machine parts like Mazak parts, Mitsubishi machine parts, Amada plasma cutting parts, etc. Here we will have a brief look at the top three plasma cutting safety tips that one must follow:

1. Fire Safety

In the plasma cutting process, preventing fire should be on the top of your safety checklist. It is because the plasma cutting arc blows hot metals and sparks out. It can even heat up by cutting the torch and workpiece that may cause fire and burns. Also, ensure you are keeping your eyes safe while performing plasma cutting. And how can you do it? With the help of safety glasses having a side shield. You can even use a helmet or a face shield with safety glasses for more protection.

You can also protect your body from harmful flying sparks and hot metal with the help of dry undamaged flame-resistant gloves and clothes. You can choose clothes made from tightly woven materials such as wool, leather, heavy denim, etc. You should also button your shirt collars to stop them from catching fire. You should avoid wearing cuffed pants as they can catch sparks. And to protect your feet from the fire, you should wear the best quality leather shoes and boots.

The plasma can be so hot that it can even cut through the gloves and skin. Thus, to prevent this injury, you must avoid gripping material near the cutting path.

2. Proper Ventilation

Similar to welding, plasma cutting also produces fumes and gases. And breathing them might mess with your health. You can prevent this health hazard by ensuring proper ventilation in the space where machines are working using fume extraction systems and respirators. You can even use a welding respirator while using a plasma cutter in a confined space. In situations when the airflow of your working machine room is restricted, then you can use a welding fume extractor. Additionally, ensure that you comply with the codes and standards of your area.

When you cut coated metals such as cadmium-plated steel or galvanized steel, you should remove the coating from the cutting area. These coatings release toxic fumes when they are cut with the plasma arc. You can use the suction system and exhaust hood at the arc to ventilate the cutting area while cutting the coated metals. This will keep the area free of fumes and safe to breathe.

3. Avoid Electric Shocks

Manufacturers connect plasma arc with an electric circuit between a workpiece and a torch. This means that if you touch the torch or the workpiece when the plasma cutter is operating, you might end up with a fatal electric shock through your body. Additionally, plasma cutters need compressed gas and high voltage to cut steel and electrically conductive metals. To give you a perspective, the plasma cutter voltages are in the range of 100-200 Volts, and that is way higher than welding voltages.

You can follow the below safety practices for saving yourself from electric shocks:

• Do not remove the ground clamps when the plasma cutting process progresses.
• Wear insulated boots and gloves to keep your body dry and safe from electric shocks.
• Do not remove the ground cable that is attached to the workpiece during the cutting process.
• Do not stand, sit, or lie on the wet floor while the plasma cutting process is going on. Instead, choose a rubber mat to prevent electrical shocks.

Conclusion

I hope the safety practices mentioned earlier may help you to carry out plasma cutting devoid of accidents or any injuries. You must remember, the key here is to identify the risks and eliminate them with necessary safety measures. To ensure additional safety, you can use high-quality Mazak parts and Mitsubishi machine parts. By following these safety measures, you can not only eliminate the accidents but also ensure growth and productivity.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/top-3-safety-practices-for-plasma-cutting

Things to Know While Buying Laser Engravers

Laser engraving machines are essential for businesses in order to engrave designs on different surfaces. Like 3D computers, it is computer-controlled and performs effectively when provided with CAD designs. 

Hence, laser engraving machines should be purchased with proper care and consciousness. If not, a failed investment in the wrong equipment may affect the business development. There are some factors that you need to consider while buying laser engravers and their spare parts. For instance, you should choose Mitsubishi spare parts or look for an Amanda press brake for sale.

About laser engraving machines, know about:

• Mechanics of Laser Engraving

Most of the laser equipment install stepper motors to reduce the cost. However, it declines the functional efficiency. Laser machines don’t provide high accuracy and operation ease compared to engravers equipped with high-precision servo motors. 

Stepper motors don’t receive feedback or any information about the accurate position. They only send commands. The lack of feedback might cause the laser engraver to lose coordinates in the process, which can cause defects. 

Servo motors, on the contrary, are equipped with encoders that transmit the data in real-time. It provides real-time information of laser carriage position and eliminates the loss of coordinates. They are more expensive than stepper motors. However, they can achieve high accuracy and cut speed without blurring image edges. 

• Cooling System

The steady operation of a laser machine depends on the laser tube’s cooling system. Any problem with it results in the tube’s failure. Therefore, a laser machine should consist of a water cooling unit or chiller in the tube. The chiller maintains the temperature and provides a steady operation of the tube. However, it must fit the laser machine and stabilize with the installed laser tube’s power. 

The cooling circuit should consist of a water flow sensor as additional protection. If the sensor detects a lack of flow or poor circulation, it will power off the machine to protect it from damages. However, if you’re tired of constant replacements, you should go for laser engravers with laser tubes up to 100W. The in-built fans cool the laser tube, making engravers convenient for operations. 

• Mirror and Focus Lens

The quality of engraving and cutting depends on the quality of laser optical mirrors, focus lenses, and the type of coating. Generally, a laser optical path consists of 3 to 4 mirrors and focal length to converge the beam. The special coating enhances the reflection rate. So, while installing, make sure that they are not economy class. In economy class mirrors, the coating laid burns fastest. The rate of power loss is high; it reaches around 20-50%.

Choose high-quality mirrors that are covered by gold plating. Gold has a high reflection rate. Mirrors with gold plating provide high transmission, and special coating minimizes the refraction coefficient. It increases the laser beam’s capacity.  

• Component Parts

Most of the manufacturers assemble rather than produce. They outsource the components from brands such as Mitsubishi spare parts. Hence, laser machines differ in assembled quality, design, and components. Even similar laser machines from different manufacturers can be assembled with different boards, motors, steering points, power supply, etc. 

Thus, it is crucial to choose a manufacturer that provides high-quality assembled equipment with standard specifications of the machine. 

• Warranty and Maintenance Costs

Most manufacturers provide a warranty only for laser machines. The laser tube is not covered in the warranty and thus results in extra cost. Besides, laser machines equipped with C02 glass tubes have high operating costs. So, check it properly. 

Lastly, ensure that laser machines stick to the safety and compliance declaration. All machines and engravers should comply with custom union technical regulations. 

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/things-to-know-while-buying-laser-engravers

Top 5 Types of Plasma Cutting Consumables You Must Know of

First, let us start with what plasma cutting consumables are? They are different parts of a plasma cutting machine. What does it do? It receives the electrical current from a cathode block present inside the torch to which the consumable is connected. It also focuses the charge with its tip that causes it to arc on the workpiece. Below are some of the common consumables useful in plasma cutting:

• Nozzle
• Shields
• Torch
• Electrodes
• Swirl Rings

These consumables are useful for cutting through thick and thin metal at a consistent speed. In the process, some consumables wear out quickly however some remain sturdy for a more extended period.

And how long a plasma cutter consumable will last depends more on its quality and usage frequency. But you need to make sure that you keep a daily check on all the consumables and change the faulty ones.

It is because if there is any fault in a single plasma cutting component then the whole system may malfunction and as a result, your output will not be as expected.

Also, investing in quality parts like Hypertherm consumables, amada consumables, or specific types like Hypertherm powermax 45 consumables serves as an excellent installing or replacing option. This will provide you with better outcomes and add life to your consumables.

Let us know more about different consumables:

1. Swirl Ring

A swirl ring is made up of ceramic or volcanic ash. It controls and swirls the plasma gas into the nozzle and around the electrode. This way it also controls the point where the arc attaches to the emitter. It regulates the plasma flow via nozzles that affect the edge angularity.

Additionally, the swirl ring insulates the nozzle from the electrode by aligning the emitter and nozzle in the metal’s orifice. This minor component is present inside the torch to swirl the gas molecules surrounding the plasma arc. This swirling process keeps the machine cool. A swirl ring usually swirls the gas in a clockwise rotation, however, there are swirl rings available that swirl counterclockwise to assist with mirror cutting.

2. Retaining Cap

The main purpose of this cap is to hold the consumables of the torch altogether. As we know, the temperature at the end of the machine is incredibly high. This temperature holds a high chance of wearing down the parts that create and focus the arc and also the components that hold the arc together. This can wear down the parts that create and focus the arc but also the components that hold them together.

3. Shield Cap

Just like its name, a shield is necessary to protect all the other consumables from molten metal and sparks. Most shields contain copper and it also provides the proper stand-off distance between the workpiece and the nozzle. An improper or damaged shield can cause poor cut quality of the final output.

4. Electrode

An electrode is a narrow piece of copper with hafnium. It focuses the charge by its tip and receives an electrical current by a cathode block. This cathode block is inside the torch to which the electrode is connected. This provides an arc to the workpiece.

5. Nozzle

Manufactures design the nozzle to constrict the gas stream flowing through the metal’s orifice in the center of the nozzle. This will focus on the plasma arc which directly affects the size of the kerf. A nozzle that is faulty can have an adverse effect on the metal by making its edges and sizes improper. Here, the orifice needs to be perfectly circular, not oval or egg-shaped.

Factors Affecting Life of Consumables

There are a lot of factors that can create problems that can affect plasma cutting consumable life, and troubleshooting such problems can be complicated and time consuming. So here we have a list of common factors that you can look if you are experiencing a reduction in plasma nozzle or electrode life:

• Low gas flow
• Low coolant flow
• Torch crashing/ Damaged torch
• Inaccurate pierce height
• Incorrect current setting
• Snapping off the plate edge
• Contaminated gas or water
• Improper cutting parameters
• Faulty or incorrect consumable set
• Faulty or incorrect coolant type

Here replacing the consumables with good quality parts like Hypertherm consumables or amada parts is the best option. Keeping a regular check on these factors will save your machine from further malfunctions.

Final Words

As you read about the roles of each consumable, you can say that plasma cutter consumables are extremely important in the operations of the machine. But what matters the most is the quality of the consumables. It will affect the output of the machine and the consumable's longevity. Suitable quality consumables such as Hypertherm powermax 45 consumables can provide you incredible accuracy and longer consumable life.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/top-5-types-of-plasma-cutting-consumables-you-must-know-of

Types of Lasers and their Applications

Have you wondered how the things around us are made? Most of them are the result of laser system operations. From industrial uses like cutting, marking, and welding to medical applications like scanning, precision tool manufacturing, and the luxury industry for finishing and imprinting, laser applications extend as far as possible. 

So, does every industry use the same type of laser? No, there are multiple types of laser with a wide range of applications. Brands like Prima spare parts and Bystronic parts provide components based on their type. 

Here are some commonly used laser techniques. 

1. Gas Lasers

In a gas laser, an electric current discharges through a gas to produce coherent light. As they convert electrical energy to light laser output, they were the first continuous laser. The first gas laser was introduced in 1960 when Iranian-American physicists Ali Javan and William R. Bennet invented the Helium-Neon laser (He-Ne).

Due to low cost and high coherence, he-Ne lasers are used in optical research and educational labs. C02 lasers have the capacity to emit 100 watts in one spatial mode. Hence, they are used for cutting and welding. 

2. Chemical Lasers

Chemical lasers generate energy through chemical reactions. They emit radiation and thus serve best in the military. However, when combined with gases, they prove helpful for various industrial applications too. For example, a high power COIL transmitted by fused silica-fiber optics can be used for cutting and welding. 

The chemical reaction used in the lasers is based on the excitement of HF* and DF* molecules. 

3. Excimer Lasers

An excimer laser, also known as exciplex laser, is a form of an ultraviolet laser. Here, the laser technology uses a particular gas laser driven by an electric charge, where the lasing medium is excimer. Excimers are the molecules that exist with an atom in an excited electronic state. These lasers operate at a wavelength of ultraviolet and are used to produce microelectronic devices, semiconductor based circuits, eye surgery, micromachining, etc. 

4. Solid State Lasers

A solid state laser uses a solid medium rather than liquid as in dye laser or gas in gas laser. It uses glass or crystalline rod that is doped with ions, providing energy states. It is used for developing defense equipment. 

The common type of solid state laser is neodymium laser. Note that semiconductor-based lasers are in the solid state, but they are of different classes. 

5. Fiber Lasers

The most commonly used laser for industrial applications such as cladding, cutting, engraving, marking, hardening, and welding is a fiber laser. Here, the guided medium for total internal reflection is an optical fiber. As light travels a long distance, it provides cooling conditions. The high surface-to-volume ratio increases the cooling effect. 

Fiber lasers have an expected life of 100,000 hours, which is typically 45 years of use. Hence, they make the best choice for industrial purposes. Also, brands like Bystronic provide high-quality Bystronic parts to increase the laser’s life span. 

6. Free Electron Lasers

Free electrons, as the name says, are not bound to molecules or atoms. They use a relativistic electron beam and cover a wide range of wavelengths from microwaves to infrared and X-rays. As the electrons are free of state, they have a broad range of wavelengths. 

Types of Laser Operations

Though there are multiple types of lasers, they operate in 2 different forms - continuous wave operation and pulsed operation. In continuous-wave operation, the beam imparts power for an extended period of time. Pulse operations, on the contrary, provide an optical power in pulses, repeated over time. They are customized for time frame output power. 

By this, we hope that you have got an idea about the laser types. In the following article, let’s learn how laser technology impacts our daily life.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/types-of-lasers-and-their-applications