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FOCUS ON TOOLINGGoing Beyondby John Galich, Marketing Manager, MATE PRECISION TOOLINGIn today’s environment, fabricators want togo beyond the norm and are looking foradditional ways to reduce costs, increase ormaintain uptime and expand the capabilities oftheir facilities. Finn-Power is expert at helpingfabricators process flat sheet metal into finishedparts. Couple innovative tooling solutionsdeveloped by Mate Precision Tooling withFinn-Power’s expertise and you have anunbeatable combination that can help yourfacility prosper.Throughout 2008, Mate developed several“off-the-shelf ” thick turret products that helpfabricators streamline manufacturing processesand take advantage of new businessopportunities. For more unique or complexsituations, Mate’s Custom Engineering groupworked closely with customers to providespecific applications. Following are somehighlights from 2008:EASYVIEW DIESMate’s new thick turretEasyView Slug Free ® die isthe world’s first tooling systemwith built-in lean visualmanagement technology.Using a colored O-ringdesigned to provide clearand instant identification,the new EasyView SlugFree design allows usersto assign visual identification to signify aspecific feature or use of the tool, includingmaterial type, machine location die clearanceand more. The choice is up to the fabricator.O-rings are available in five colors for allEasyView die sizes.To eliminate slug pulling, Slug Free diegeometry is incorporated into all thick turretEasyView dies. Slug pulling is a conditionwhere the slug returns to the top of the sheetduring the stripping portion of the punchingcycle; this causes damage to the piece part andthe tooling. Slug Free dies are designed with anopening that has a constriction point below thesurface to prevent slug return.EasyView makes it faster and easier forusers to make the correct decision every time,and eliminates wasted time looking for thecorrect tool.ENUMERATORMate’s Enumerator is a numbering toolthat stamps sequential serial or fixed numbersof up to six characters on sheet metal parts.Using a 3-1/2” D Station, the dedicated holderdesign includes an easy external lengthadjustment mechanism to accommodatematerial thickness from 0.020(0.50) to0.236(6.00). The holderalso features fourexternal keyways thatallow 0, 90, 180, 270degree orientation, formaximum flexibility.The core of theMate Enumerator is arobust stamping headthat uses up to sixnumerical stamp wheels. The Mate Enumeratoroperates in two modes:■ Sequential Number Mode, where theEnumerator advances by one number foreach complete stroke the tool makes—essential where part traceability isimportant■ Fixed Number Mode, where fixed numbers,such as a date, batch number or partnumber are importantAs the tool is stroked by the machine,the engraved characters leave a crisp and cleanmark in the top surface of the material. As thetool retracts, it advances the stamp wheel to thenext number in the sequence.CUSTOM SOLUTIONSIf you want to further expand thecapabilities of your Finn-Power press, Mate’sCustom Engineering group is at your service.Its mission is to provide Mate’s customers witha competitive advantage by offering creativesolutions, effective tool designs and friendlyproduct support for their special applicationrequirements. Here are just two examples ofhow Mate’s Custom Engineering group helpedcustomers:COLD FORGE EMBOSSConsistency and reliability are essentialsafety requirements in the electronic enclosuresindustry. One such requirement is the inclusionof the electrical earth (“ground”) symbolincluded on the enclosures. (In an electricalenvironment, "ground" refers to a physicalconnection to the earth.) The electrical earthsymbol must be permanently affixed andvisible. Since some parts are also painted, manyenclosure manufacturers apply an earth symbollabel, which is a costly process when youconsider the purchase of the labels andsecondary operation to apply them. Anotherpotential cost: if the label is missing ordefaced, the part could fail an electricalinspection process.In this particular situation, the customerneeded the earth symbol to be visible afterpainting and wanted to avoid any secondaryoperations. The customer needed to create aform that was 0.040(1.00) high in 0.048(1.20)23mild steel on its Finn-Power press. Oursolution was Mate’s Ultraform 1-1/4” Bstation, inverted, spring loaded, cold-forgedemboss assembly. This special assembly isdesigned to permanently emboss the earthsymbol in the sheet metal during the punchingcycle when the metal is pinched between theupper and lower tool.This approach offered many benefits,including:■ Elimination of a secondary operation■ Improved throughput time, since the partdoes not have to be handled twice■ Improved part quality, because the form ispermanent and cannot be removed.■ Ensured consistency,since the location ofthe form is fixed bythe machine programMate’s cold-forgedemboss is a greatapplication to meet these standards. You canalso use the cold-forge emboss for othersituations, too. For example, a company can useit to expand its brand “footprint” and embossits company logo on the part to help it standout from the competition.Another example of Mate’s CustomEngineering prowess is when a job shopneeded to make a small quantity of stainlesssteel lock washers for a military application thatwere not commercially available.Mate's solution was thick turret presstooling that will punch, form and blank out therequired lock washers. The washer's small sizeand complex tooth geometry posed severalchallenges on how to create the tooling. Afterdesigning the complex tooth geometry via astate-of-the-art 3D CAD system, each tool wasmachined using a very small (.016(0.40)diameter) cutting tool in hardened tool steel to60-61 Rockwell.The finished lock washer is produced inthree hits: Pre-piercing the ID with a specialshape tool to create the flat teeth; formingthe teeth with a SA emboss; and punchingthe completed lock washer with a roundblanking tool.By combining the high performancefeatures of Finn-Power punch presses withinnovative tooling solutions from MatePrecision Tooling, fabricators are empoweredto go beyond and expand their capabilities; togo beyond and eliminate secondary operationsto improve quality, maximize uptime andincrease efficiency.For more information about Mate toolingsystems for Finn-Power punch presses, visitmate.com/finn-power. For information onMate’s Custom Engineering Group, please visitmate.com/sa/.