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So I bought a new press brake. Now what?

CPM2014

Cast Iron
Joined
Apr 18, 2014
Location
Austin,TX
I just purchased our first first piece of our new fab department. We bought a 1993 Toyokoki APB-3613W that appears to be in great condition. Specs are 48” bed, 36ton and 6 axis back gauge. This will be accompanied by a Waterjet and other misc. equipment for sheet metal prototype work in the 2-25pc range. Materials will be mostly sub 1/8”, aluminum, ss, and mild steel.

We are a mostly CNC machining shop so our experience in this department is non existent. I’m looking for some help and suggestions on how to properly outfit this machine. I realize that there are hundreds of punch and die profiles but what are good general purpose die profiles? Any wear items or spares I should have on hand for machine or tooling?

Lastly, are any of you familiar with this machine, and/or control? Any insights?

I’ve been machining since 1995 and I’m really excited to get my feet wet on something different! Thanks in advance. -Chris04430E9A-1248-4E13-B358-70E9446CF27A.jpgF76FCB3F-6674-42D2-A701-C0ADCD9A0EB5.jpgD07F7687-BEE0-4420-BC1C-09E63F7DC6E1.jpg293C415C-2026-4B1A-9D91-DFFEF4C3C84F.jpg
 
Buy a robot, that can reach all the corners of the waterjet table.

Program it to pick up pieces from the table, and hold them in the press brake,

Make it an enclosed cell with light curtains, with a "output" or set down are for completed parts.
 
I just purchased our first first piece of our new fab department. We bought a 1993 Toyokoki APB-3613W that appears to be in great condition. Specs are 48” bed, 36ton and 6 axis back gauge. This will be accompanied by a Waterjet and other misc. equipment for sheet metal prototype work in the 2-25pc range. Materials will be mostly sub 1/8”, aluminum, ss, and mild steel.

We are a mostly CNC machining shop so our experience in this department is non existent. I’m looking for some help and suggestions on how to properly outfit this machine. I realize that there are hundreds of punch and die profiles but what are good general purpose die profiles? Any wear items or spares I should have on hand for machine or tooling?

Lastly, are any of you familiar with this machine, and/or control? Any insights?

I’ve been machining since 1995 and I’m really excited to get my feet wet on something different! Thanks in advance. -ChrisView attachment 296125View attachment 296126View attachment 296127View attachment 296128
CPM2014
My recommendation is hire a consultant that know about running a sheet metal fab shop, hold different requirements.
might not hurt to contact the mfg of the brake and water jet to get off on the right track.
I started at fab shop but it's being 35 years, so I can really be no help.
just like any field there is tricks of the trade, in how to shear, when to use back up with cold roll for thin sheet metal, and the size to cut the sheets for the final brake form geometry. and which tooling to use.
a lot of cad programs make short work of that now. sheet metal packages.
Take this with a grain of salt but the cement slab under the brake will require to be dug out x # feet and repoured with concrete to prevent vibration. it's a lead again verify with the manufacture, don't take my word.
 
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I just purchased our first first piece of our new fab department.
I’m looking for some help and suggestions on how to properly outfit this machine.
Lastly, are any of you familiar with this machine, and/or control? Any insights?

As you can see from posts 2 & 3 above, practical basic info on sheet metal fab work can be an enigma. If you could find a good fab guy that maybe works at a local fab shop, get him to stop by after work sometime and give you a few pointers on the basics. Better try about 3-4 guys tho, average out the lump of results.

But then again, if you post a question on a machinery forum like "I just bought XXX machine that I have Zero knowledge about.......Now what"? You shouldn't expect too much.
 
Carefully place your hand under the waterjet. Allow the stream to severe the hand above the wrist. Place in brake, where as the middle finger will be bent at about 168*. Remove hand and look at it. It will be saying "go fuck yourself".

Anyway. Read everything you can find, and yeah, find some non methhead that runs similar shit and get some advice.
 
Take this with a grain of salt but the cement slap under the brake will require to be dug out x # feet and repoured with concrete to prevent vibration. it's a lead again verify with the manufacture, don't take my word.
That leetle HYDRAULIC press brake needs more than a normal shop floor ?
"Vibrations"....From what ?


Yes, look in the owners manual, but I'll bet 6" slab is just fine.
 
6" no way, I bet 3" would be fine for a 36 ton machine. My 230 ton Cincinnati requires 6".

If you have no bending experience, it is a long lesson is joint design for the water jet and learning how metal itself bends. As no 2 sheets will bend exactly the same. Especially lot to lot as tolerances change.



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Call Wilson Tool, get a salesman to come out to look at your brake and your prints. Be prepared to spend 3-7 times the cost of the brake.
 
Carefully place your hand under the waterjet. Allow the stream to severe the hand above the wrist. Place in brake, where as the middle finger will be bent at about 168*. Remove hand and look at it. It will be saying "go fuck yourself".

Anyway. Read everything you can find, and yeah, find some non methhead that runs similar shit and get some advice.

:rolleyes5: What’s this even supposed to mean!? Lol. I guess with this COVID issue going on, even the slow kids have extra time on their hands.
 
Call Wilson Tool, get a salesman to come out to look at your brake and your prints. Be prepared to spend 3-7 times the cost of the brake.
Yeah, I’ve got a $10k budget for starter tooling and I’m guessing it’ll barely get me going. The good thing is that most of the work we plan on doing is pretty straightforward bending. Most shops near me use Wilson, is that the only brand worth considering?
 
Take this with a grain of salt but the cement slab under the brake will require to be dug out x # feet and repoured with concrete to prevent vibration. it's a lead again verify with the manufacture, don't take my word.

yes I jumped a bit sure, best check out the exiting slap and verify it will suffice,
sometime brain don't work and fingers type, hey I am forgetting stuff. :willy_nilly:
 
Concrete slab is sorta important. Press brakes are front heavy, ya don't want one tipping forward on you if the 3" slab fails. I had this problem when my 10' Trump was installed. Installation tech stopped when he drilled the slab. Nope, cannot proceed. I had to get 2)6' x 12" pieces of 1.25 plate in place under the machine.
Solidworks has a really nice sheetmetal part that can be made to do what you need. Dial it in to your machine and punch/die tool inventory and go from there. I do just a few bends with a different thickness and am done.
 








 
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