Sheet Metal Punching

Punching is performed by moving the sheet of metal between the top and bottom tools of a punch. The top tool (punch) mates with the bottom tool (die), cutting a simple shape (e.g. a square, circle, or hexagon) from the sheet. An area can be cut out by making several hundred small square cuts around the perimeter. A punch is less flexible than a laser for cutting compound shapes, but faster for repetitive shapes (for example, the grille of an air-conditioning unit). A typical CNC punch has a choice of up to 60 tools in a "turret" that can be rotated to bring any tool to the active punching position. A modern CNC punch can take 600 blows per minute. A typical component (such as the side of a computer case) can be cut to high precision from a blank sheet in under 15 seconds by either a punch or a laser CNC machine.

For more information on Sheet Metal Punching talk to Saint Anns Sheet Metal Co. Ltd