Haco Atlantic's Q5 series of punching machines is designed to enable shops to do more while reducing the number of steps it takes to produce a part.
According to the company, a large number of secondary bending operations can be eliminated by the forming and bending capabilities of the Haco Q5. The Q5 features a bending height of 3" (70 mm) in a variety of angles and on parts that are nested in locations other than 0° - 45° and 90°.
"What makes it so unique is the ability to form up and/or bend sheet metal 3 inches in a punching machine," said a company spokesperson. "With most conventional turret punch presses you have a maximum height of between 3/8 inches to a 1/2 inch maximum. What this will enable shops to do is possibly eliminate a bending operation, hence, punch and then bend or form the part and then drop it down the parts chute."
The HACO Q5 concept allows the rotating (auto-indexing) of all tools at a speed of 250 RPM, increasing the use and flexibility of the tooling. "This is also a significant cost reduction when purchasing a machine," said the spokesperson. "You do not have to buy individual auto index stations and are then limited to the number of tools that are indexable.
An AC servo motor controls the hydraulics for tonnage, speed and stroke of the punching head, giving a capacity of max. 1,200 hits per minute. "The real number of hits per minute in a specific punching operation depends on the sheet thickness, sheet dimensions, table speed, punch stroke, distance between holes, etc.," said the spokesperson.
All data for the setting of the hydraulic head for each tool is kept in the tool library. When loading a specific tool, the CNC control will correctly set the punching head parameters for optimum punching at all times, according to the company. The maximum possible stroke is 37 mm.
According to the company, advantages for programmable punching stroke and punching speed include:
- When making a tool change, the punching head is set at the exact tool change height
- When punching, the punch is set at the optimum height just above the sheet in order to achieve the minimum loss of travel and thus the maximum possible punching/nibbling rate
- For forming operations (embossing, levering, bending, rolling, etc.), a fully programmable depth/height of the form is guaranteed, plus the optimum punching speed.
When traveling over previously punched deformations, a sufficient clearance between the punch and the sheet can be set to avoid sheet crash or tool damage. "The special design of this servo-hydraulic punching head allows improved quality of the punched sheet at the maximum possible speed, as well as the lifetime of the tools," said the spokesperson. "After regrinding the tooling, the punch head compensates for the loss of tool height without the need to shim. The CNC control automatically reads the tool height from the tool library (the tool height varies after regrinding) and sets the punching head accordingly.
"The punch tonnage is automatically set as a 'low' or a 'high' tonnage, as set per tool in the tool library."
Automation options include a load / unload system and integration of pick and place or pick and stack robotics.
Haco has developed a CAD/CAM punching software, the HACO PUNCH Pro, that can be used to prepare the punching production and generate the CNC programs for the Haco CNC punching machines. According to the company, features include:
- Windows software
- User-friendly 2D CAD functions
- Importing of 2D files: dxf, me10, hpgl, dwg
- Graphical tool library for normal and special tools
- Manual and automatic tool assignment
- Rectangular and true shape nesting
- Manual, automatic and combined nesting
- Common cuts, micro-joints
- Manual and automatic repositioning
- Graphical simulation of the punch process
- Fully integrated in the HacoSoft CAD/CAM System
- Tele Service via Internet
- Programmable tool functions
- Programmable part chute
- Nest report with price calculation
- Tool linking (punch, form, tapping)
- Manual and automatic punch order
- Can be integrated in the HacoSoft package (HacoBend, HacoPlasma, etc.).
For more information contact:
Haco Atlantic
11629 N. Houston Rosslyn Road
Houston, TX 77086
281-445-3985
sales.tx@hacoatlantic.com
www.hacoatlantic.com
FABTECH Booth #S-1061