bryan_machine
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2006
- Location
- Near Seattle
I am involved in a project to improve the productivity of a factory making cookstoves in Africa. (Different from prior projects I've mentioned here.)
Their current process involves cutting a great many rectangular blanks in pretty light gauge galvanized material 0.51mm thick, some of it 0.35mm thick (still to work out what gauge standard is being used there. But clearly pretty thin stuff.)
The goal is to find manual shears (stomp shear) and brakes (or folders) because electricity is highly unreliable.
And of course, most of what I see on the web seems to be cheap PRC imports, and so one would have to have hands on testing to decide if it would stand up to the kind of continuous use expected here. (The sorts of intermittent use in HVAC or race shops aren't really "industrial" enough for this application. But the kinds of power shears and brakes that factories buy now require power and are hopelessly expensive.)
Anybody have positive direct experience with good brands to dig into?
I have a mittler brothers bead roller (powered), and it seems just fine. I don't have any of their manual equipment, and don't run a factory myself.
Bevery makes some fine hand-lever shears, but they're not really ideal for cutting up "sheet" stock - though they'd likely be a step up for what's currently being done (guy bending over with hand shears cutting blanks on dirt floor.... )
Anybody have recent tennesmith/roper-whitney/diacro etc manual stuff? How is it? Shears or brakes or benders from mittler brothers or the like? Particular models of machines from the usual suspects?
Their current process involves cutting a great many rectangular blanks in pretty light gauge galvanized material 0.51mm thick, some of it 0.35mm thick (still to work out what gauge standard is being used there. But clearly pretty thin stuff.)
The goal is to find manual shears (stomp shear) and brakes (or folders) because electricity is highly unreliable.
And of course, most of what I see on the web seems to be cheap PRC imports, and so one would have to have hands on testing to decide if it would stand up to the kind of continuous use expected here. (The sorts of intermittent use in HVAC or race shops aren't really "industrial" enough for this application. But the kinds of power shears and brakes that factories buy now require power and are hopelessly expensive.)
Anybody have positive direct experience with good brands to dig into?
I have a mittler brothers bead roller (powered), and it seems just fine. I don't have any of their manual equipment, and don't run a factory myself.
Bevery makes some fine hand-lever shears, but they're not really ideal for cutting up "sheet" stock - though they'd likely be a step up for what's currently being done (guy bending over with hand shears cutting blanks on dirt floor.... )
Anybody have recent tennesmith/roper-whitney/diacro etc manual stuff? How is it? Shears or brakes or benders from mittler brothers or the like? Particular models of machines from the usual suspects?