Since being established in Finland in 1975, Pivatic has been building customized high-quality automated punch and bend from coil or blank stock production systems for high-volume producers of precision sheet metal components for a diverse range of industries, including:
- HVAC wrappers
- Electrical enclosures
- Power distribution components
- Appliances
- Steel access doors
- Elevator doors and interiors
- Furniture
- Architectural panels
Customization of hundreds of lines installed worldwide has been a key to Pivatic’s success. To provide the utmost in productivity and reliability, almost all of them are different in some way.
The PivaPunch may be best described as a hybrid between a turret punch press and a coil-fed stamping press.
Material Feeding: A Pivatic line is engineered to feed from coil stock that has been slit to the true width of the finished part to reduce scrap, or blanks pre-sheared to size, or both – depending on the application. A big advantage of Pivatic feeding systems is that surface appearance-critical materials that are polished, brushed, painted, or laminated are processed without concern for dealing with scratches after the part is completed. Pivatic designs and builds nearly all the feeding components used in the line to ensure that quality and performance can be guaranteed. For machines up to 32” wide, material can be advanced into the punching station by either a precision servo roll feed, or a servo-controlled clamp-type feed, depending on the application. For machines 32” and wider, a clamp-type feed will be furnished. Note: material is always advanced in the “X”-axis. The servo-controlled tooling cassettes move only in the “Y”-axis.
Punch Tooling & Cassettes: The PivaPunch system utilizes standard “Thick Turret, Amada-Style” tooling mounted in precision-machined tooling cassettes. The number of tools required, and their sizes is dictated by an evaluation of the application. Cassettes can hold up to 26 tools (52 tools total because there are two (2) cassettes in a standard PivaPunch system.) In cases where even more tool capacity is required, readily available multi-tool holders that can hold up to nine (9) individual tools can be installed in specific stations to increase the tool capacity to up to 100 total. Individual tools up to “F” size (6” diameter) can be accommodated, and up to two (2) tool stations can have auto-index capability. Thick turret tooling is readily available from a variety of suppliers, and due to the extremely accurate punch and die alignment offered by the precision machined cassette, typically lasts far longer between sharpening’s than when used in a turret punch press. Customers have the option of purchasing spare tooling cassettes, which can be stored on a wheeled trolley next to the machine and can be switched-out within minutes to accommodate job changes and minimize downtime.
In addition to the two (2) tooling cassettes furnished, additional cassettes can be provided to accommodate larger tools or other specific job requirements. More traditional stamping press-style tooling can also be integrated into the PivaPunch system as required by the application. The combinations of different tooling configurations are virtually limitless.
The Press Portion of PivaPunch: The power behind the CNC PivaPunch is provided by either a hydraulic or servo motor-controlled striker plate of up to 40-tons capacity. In essence, it acts as a stamping press – a large steel plate that reciprocates up-and-down. It is a fundamentally simple concept, but there is a lot going on during the punching process. It has been very robustly designed and constructed to ensure maximum productivity with a minimal amount of maintenance.
- The CNC program controls all functions of the striker plate and the striker (or anvil) itself.
- Each tool cassette has a servo-positioned striker/anvil located above it. According to the part program, the striker/anvil is positioned above the tool that is required to be active on that stroke of the striker plate.
- Slugs are punched down through the lower dies, where they are moved by conveyor out from under the punching station into easily accessible slug storage bins.
- Please see the accompanying video for a depiction of the operation of the striker plate, striker/anvil, and tooling.
- In addition to blanking, the thick turret tooling (and press tooling, if required) can be used to complete a wide variety of formed features as well. Such features can include louvers, knockouts, lances, tabs, and extrusions.
After the material has been processed in the PivaPunch module, a shear is triggered to cut the blank to the proper length and/or width, whereby it is moved down the line via conveyor to the next phase of the processing, which can be part marking, bending, welding, stacking, or a variety of other processes.
Pivatic has a well-earned reputation for helping many customers dramatically increase productivity and profits.
Benefits of Using PivaPunch:
- Greatly reduced labor costs.
- Greatly reduced material costs by using coils or blanks that are the width of the finished product.
- Faster cycle times – it is rare that any part being run on a Pivatic line takes even a minute to completely process from start to finish – and it can be a lot faster.
- Manage inventory levels more efficiently.
- Process/error control: It takes zero operator interaction to move the part from one part of the process to another.
- Reliability: Pivatic systems are built to last, but spare parts availability, experienced service and ongoing support are more important than eever, and some of the keys to our success. We can often help you get your machine back in operation quickly through troubleshooting over the telephone or via remote access, and if you require a service technician, they are dispatched from several locations throughout the USA to minimize downtime. In addition, our lines can be retrofit or rebuilt as required to ensure long-lasting performance and productivity
When high-volume, high-accuracy processing of precision sheet metal components is the end game, it is rare to find a part that cannot benefit significantly from running on a coil or blank-fed Pivatic line. We have loyal partner customers all over the world that prove it every day. We like to think of Pivatic as a company that most people have never heard of, but that touches their lives every day in some way through the ubiquitous products made on them.
Written by David Stone, National Sales Director USA
david.stone@ursviken.com