Page 38 - MetalForming March 2016

Turret Punch Presses:
Slash Setup, Maximize Uptime
New capabilities offered by the latest machines can do all of this, making them as indispensable as ever in job shops.
BY LOUIS A. KREN
Turret punch presses have long faced a challenge: setup time. Obstacles to rapid setup have held back this technology from meeting its full potential. The problem has even led to more rapid adoption of press- room technologies such as laser cutters. But these days turret punch presses ramp up quickly to full production, and offer the ability to monitor per- formance, thus allowing the machines to become production juggernauts.
That’s the take from Donald Angel, lead applications engineer from Muratec Machinery USA, Inc., Char- lotte, NC. MetalForming recently dis- cussed turret-press setup and produc-
tivity improvements with Angel, and he offers insight into the whys and hows of their improvement.
Setup Time Historically Lengthy
“The biggest challenge with turret punch presses has always been keeping them running,” Angel says. “That is one reason why lasers became so pop- ular; no tool setup save for some noz- zles and some other minor things, but in general, lasers would run longer and require less setup time.
“Entering a job shop where users employ a variety of materials on a vari- ety of parts, we wouldn’t see the turret presses running,” he continues. “Why?
It’s due to setup. Users have a lot to undertake in order to start jobs: man- age the tooling, load the correct pro- grams, manage the job paperwork, set die clearances, locate and stage the correct material, etc.”
Automation to the Rescue
Facing this, equipment suppliers have sought solutions to allow job shops to better manage setup, thus enabling more green-light time on the machines.
For example, Angel notes, Muratec has integrated software into the turret press’ control that routes to the cus- tomer’s network. Arrangements such as these allow programs to transfer to machine controls simply, rapidly
36 MetalForming/March 2016
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The latest turret punch
presses employ features to ease
setup and ensure continuing production.
For example, the human-machine interface
on this Motorum 33-ton machine from Muratec USA assists the operator with tooling selection, program scheduling and more.