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Not happy with new Pressbrake

Portable Welder

Cast Iron
Joined
Jan 9, 2015
Location
Milan, MI
Okay, so the brand new Betenbender press brake showed up today, there're what appears to be a chain gouge on the bed that will need to be stoned down flush before putting the bottom die in.
The upper die bolts to pinch the die won't tighten up, so I need to take a tap to the holes and chase the threads.
The threaded holes that also hold the bottom die gouged into the tee slot.
There's other Allen bolts for the front support arms that are missing... I hope this is not a reflection as to how the rest of the machine was made.
 
Unfortunately, I did post my did dis-satisfaction with your choice.
I observed much of what you describe on a simple 4' shear I did the
install for.

I also suggested to you, a rebuilt Cincinnati, remachined, and with new controls.
 
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Yes, the machine came with start up help, once I get it powered up they have a guy that will come in and spend part of a day going over things with me.
I ordered the machine with a (5 station go to pro ) which if I understand it correctly will have a memory that will remember 5 ram depth programs and 5 back gage programs.
 
You paid for a fully functional machine, not a brand new fixer upper. Make the setup guy do what needs to be done to your satisfaction. Yeah, finish tapping every freekin hole. Get the power there and leave the final connection for him. Read as much as you can about the machine and make the setup guy program and execute all movements of every axis. And if 5 steps only then a 5 step program.
Set him up with all the sheet/plate metal he wants and make sure the grain is marked on all pieces submitted. Short pieces and 6 foot plus pieces
 
I agree, you paid for a new machine. I would document the problems and have the service guy fix it. This may sound stupid, but if you fix things, that's another way for the manufacturer to void a warranty.

This tapatalk has been giving me a network error for a week again. First topic I have been able to get into.

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
 
Make them fix it. Gouged parts should be replaced or the machine discounted appropriately. You want to make it clear from the beginning that they shouldn't screw with you so when you find something really wrong they are happy to buy the machine back.

The only reason to buy new equipment these days is for functional performance guarantees from the manufacture or if what you need is simply not available in the used market.
 
As much as I'd like to make them do the repairs, I really want to take my time with it, there are sharp corners on the bed that I want to break to prevent us from getting cut when sliding the dies in and out, Chase the threaded holes with a tap and blow them out.
I will also stone the bed down where it looks like the chain from a chain binder gouged it.
I'm also going to start running the conduit for the #4 wires.
 
Just doesn't seem right to spend that kind of money on a new machine then have to rework it before it can be put into service. If it was me it would go right back where it come from.
 
Just doesn't seem right to spend that kind of money on a new machine then have to rework it before it can be put into service. If it was me it would go right back where it come from.

"Made in USA" doesn't mean "Made any better"......
 
I spent the day cleaning paint off the machined surfaces of the upper pinch clamp, chasing threads and breaking the sharp edges, now I need to clean the track of the lower die holder, the threaded holes used to center the die holder have burs where the drill and tap busted through.
 
Okay, I finally got all the power ran to the area of the press brake, cleaned all the surfaces, now that its powered up, I removed the wood blocks that it was shipped with between the ram and the bed, cleaned that area, installed the section pinch plates on the ram that hold the upper punch in place, ( I ordered it with what they call a safety tang) to hold the sectional gooseneck punch into place before it gets tightened and the groove is improperly machined on 2 of them not allowing me to install the punch, so now I have to box those up, send them back to the factory to have them machined.

Another question, I understand that they need to put a little paint on the machined surface where the lower die sits so it doesnt rust traveling down the road, so I took a flap wheel on my high speed drill to sand the paint off, is it acceptable that the machining grooves are so coarse that I can feel them with my leather gloves on, some areas are smooth and some are not where it looks like they had to go back and hit the high spots, its definately not a consistant machined surface.
When they talk about crowning dies and they use a .005 shim and I look at the machining texture which is easily .002 if not a little more, I'm left scratching my head.
 
Sounds like it's still a pile of shit.

Since being around a lot of precision sheet metal work I don't understand why anyone would buy a machine that cannot do precise work.

I suppose it's different when a welder buys a press brake VS when a machinist buys one.

The stuff you can do with a high end press brake with a good back gauge and a way to make custom tooling can really pay off.

What you can't do with a low end brake can cripple you.
 
Garwood, I wasn't trying to go cheap, if I wanted cheap I would have went chinese, I wanted American made, the electrical components are american made, I went to the trade show and looked at the display model, I did searches on the computer and looked for complaints and found none, I did my best to find one with good quality, a company that has been around for several years so I can get replacement if needed.
I paid additional for digital Ram and digital powered back gauge.
On the flip side, I didn't want one that was overly complicated with a bunch of bells and whistles I didnt need.
Hopefully once I get the bugs worked out I'll have the machine I was hoping to get.
 
I wanted American made


The newest American made machine in my shop was made in 1967. We haven't made anything worth a shit for a very long time. Because of the cost of materials and labor here we cannot compete. Cannot compete!

American companies specialize. We don't make commodity machines well here.

What would the same money have bought you in a used Amada?

If I was your potential customer I would rather see a slightly tattered 20+ year old Amada on your floor than a shiny new B-thing.
 








 
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