We acquired many press-brake dies recently and in putting them in the custom-made rack that came with them, we noticed a number of die sets made by stacking steel cutouts, then joining with weld beads. Some had job numbers welded on. The company that made and used them said they cut multiple cross-sections from 1/8” plate using a cnc waterjet, with two dowel holes each. Long dowels were inserted to retain alignment when the sections were welded. The company did this to save money since they found custom-made solid dies were very expensive. If anyone wants better photos of the custom-made die storage rack, ask and I’ll post some. Maybe laminated dies are common, I don’t know, I’ve just never seen any before.
John Morris has shared 7 photos with you! | Flickr
John Morris has shared 7 photos with you! | Flickr