Tooling Terminology

Tooling Terminology:

  • Acute – Tooling with an angle less than 90°.
  • Adapter – Intermediate tooling which converts an American Style punch holder to a European Style, or vice versa.  They can also be used to lengthen the punch holder.
  • Adjustable – A die where the v opening can be changed by turning a screw mechanism to spread the two sides of the v.
  • American Style – Tooling for press brakes comes in two main forms; American and European.
  • Box – Tooling specifically designed to form boxes with flanges on 2, 3 and 4 sides.
  • Channel – Tooling which is used to form sheet metal channels.
  • Curling – Tooling which creates an open circular roll at the end of the sheet, this is different than hemming.
  • Die – The bottom section of a press brake tool which typically features a v shaped groove.
  • Die Holder – Attached permanently to the lower beam this clamping mechanism will hold the die or rail in position.
  • Die Set – The term applied to a specific combination of holder, die, punch and any spacers or rails.
  • European Style – Press brake tooling comes in two main forms, European and American.  European style tooling has an offset between the center of the tool and where it is clamped to the brake.
  • Goose Neck Punch – A term for punches with deep profiles to allow for large return flanges when bending.
  • Hemming – Tooling which is specially designed to produce hems in to stages, without tool change over.
  • Narrow Punch – Also known as sword punches or straight punches these are characterized by long, straight, thin punches used for bending symmetrical profiles.
  • Offset – Offset tooling is a combination punch and die which has a Z shape and performs two bends in one stroke to produce a jog, or offset, in the metal.
  • Louver – A raised feature which allows air to pass through the work piece while simultaneously protecting the opening.
  • Punch – The upper section of tooling which generally features a v shaped profile matching the die.
  • Punch Holder – A clamping mechanism which holds the punch, allowing for easy switching of punches.
  • Radius – Tooling specifically designed for forming a larger radius in the work piece.
  • Ribbing – Tooling which ads a round or v shaped grooved to the sheet metal in a single stroke.
  • Sash Punch – A generally straight thin tool with a sharp relief offset at the bottom, used for bending special relief profiles.
  • Sash Die – A thin single v die with a center tang, allowing for tighter profiles to be bent around the die.
  • Seaming – Punch and Die sets which are designed to prepare and close seams on one or more pieces of sheet metal.
  • Shimming – The act of adding material to the bend process in order to compensate for distortion along the bend line.
  • Spacer Block – An intermediate piece of tooling which adds height to the die holder.
  • Squaring Arm – A device which attaches to and moves with the press brake and work piece to hold work pieces square, or at a set angle.
  • Two, Three & Four Sided Die – A specialized die which has a square shape and a special profile cut into each side to allow for multiple setups from a single die.
  • Rail – An intermediary holder which is seated in the die holder and adds height, or a special profile, to the die holder.  This also allows for quick accurate switching of dies.
  • Rolla V – A specialized die which has two half cylinders which support the flanges as the work piece is bent.
  • Rotary Die – Rotary dies have a cylindrical shape with v cut along its axis is seated in a saddle.
  • Tang – A locating protrusion on a piece of tooling which fits into a matching groove.  Typically found at the center of American Tooling.
  • Unbalanced – Tooling which does not evenly distribute the tonnage front to back and thus creates a thrust force on the punch holder.  Often seen in 30°-60° type tooling.
  • Urethane Die – Press brake dies which incorporate a urethane pad to aid in the bending process.
  • Window Punch – A bend setup which creates an open area above the punch to allow deep drawn parts to pass through.
  • Wipe Die – Wiping die bending is performed by holding the sheet between a pad and die then sliding the wiping punch across the face bending the sheet metal which protrudes from the pad and die.

Machine Specific:

 

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