Strengthening ribs are designed to add strength to sheet metal parts. Using Mate's Rollerball tooling, punch press operators can create stiffening ribs and decorative beads in sheet metal without secondary operations.
Mate's Rollerball tool forms the rib by pinching the metal between two omni-directional ball bearings in the upper tool assembly and a single ball bearing in the tool's lower assembly. The shape of the rib is created by the punch press programming system and can be placed anywhere on the part surface.
"When the material is deformed to create the ribs, the effected material thickness increases, strengthening the material," said John Ripka, Mate Precision Tooling Application Specialist. "The tool allows part designers to reduce sheet metal thickness without compromising the strength and rigidity of the final product. These ribs can make all the difference if you are using the minimum material thickness to control costs. Also, these applications allow fabricators to eliminate secondary operations that result in material and labor cost savings with reduced production time."
The Mate Rollerball tool is designed to be used in machines that can hold the ram down while simultaneously moving the sheet around the X-axis and or Y-axis. When used in machines with accurate stroke control, a simple adjustment to the machine's stroke length can create a deeper or shorter form. In other thick turret machines, using the Mate Rollerball in a Mate Ultraform holder offers easy adjustability by simply changing the length of the holder with a few clicks of the tool.
"Using the Rollerball tool is also a better option than using a standard forming tool to make the ribs," said a company spokesperson. "Standard forming tools may require tens to hundreds of hits and several minutes to produce strengthening ribs over the length of a sheet. Mate Rollerball reduces machine time to just a few seconds and produces an enhanced end result."
Stiffening ribs are particularly helpful in large unsupported metal panels typical in duct work for heating and air conditioning systems. The versatile Rollerball tool can create an emboss to provide additional clearance for a feature or hardware. It can also add visual or cosmetic enhancements to fabricated products.
Mate Rollerball is available in most popular tool styles, including Mate Ultraform for Thick Turret, Trumpf style, Murata Wiedemann, Thin Turret, Salvagnini punch presses and more.
For more information contact:
Mate Precision Tooling
1295 Lund Blvd.
Anoka, MN 55303
800-328-4492
marketing@mate.com
www.mate.com