| Press breaks and shears are two of the fabrication | | | | length, then go for the large models. |
| tools or machines used in fabricating things out of | | | | If you are a neophyte in the business, consult |
| metal. | | | | technical people who can give you an idea of what |
| A press break is used for bending sheets, while the | | | | you will be up against before making your final |
| shears is utilized to cut, trim or clip metals. | | | | purchase. |
| A press break is your sophisticated version of your | | | | Other than bending metals, another common |
| manual break used in your metal sheet bending | | | | fabricating process is cutting or shearing metal sheets |
| needs. In terms of the application of force, a press | | | | using the shears. The advantages of the shears are |
| break can be categorized as mechanical, pneumatic, | | | | its ability to cut flat metal sheets in a straight line and |
| hydraulic and servo-electric. | | | | its flexibility in making relatively small cuts. This is |
| Mechanical press breaks were used until the 1950's in | | | | made possible because the blades of the shears can |
| the advent of more sophisticated technology which | | | | be mounted in a certain angle that reduces the force |
| includes computerization of machines. This | | | | required. |
| development led to the creation of hydraulic | | | | Materials that are commonly sheared are aluminum, |
| machines and hydraulic press breaks started to | | | | brass, bronze and steel. Shearing can be done on |
| become popular. Hydraulic breaks are reliable, | | | | metal sheets, strips, bar, plate and even angle stock. |
| accurate, use little energy and are safer. | | | | There are several kinds of shears available in the |
| More technological advancements paved way for | | | | market, depending on you specific need. These are |
| pneumatic and servo-electric presses which are used | | | | alligator shears, bench shears, guillotine, power shears, |
| for bending metals with lower tonnage. Pneumatic | | | | throatless shears and tin snips. |
| press brakes are commonly used in the industrial sites | | | | Learn the specific uses of these machines, versus |
| where production efforts are not that high. On the | | | | what you really need. A good fit between your |
| other hand, servo-electric presses are designed for | | | | needs and the capability of your equipment spells |
| high precision because of their programmable working | | | | success of higher productivity and lower costs. |
| speed. | | | | Mismatched equipment for the type of work needed |
| There are several things that you need to consider | | | | will only entail additional expenses and will slow down |
| when buying a press break, one of which is the size | | | | your production level as well. |
| and capacity. You must have an idea as to how large | | | | It is wise to invest in equipment with a capacity that |
| is the largest material that you will be dealing with | | | | is greater than your need. This will allow you room |
| and multiply it by two or three times. | | | | for future expansion without necessarily buying more |
| A small press break is capable of bending metals | | | | tools. Safety is also important. Make sure that your |
| under 25 tons (tons of pressure per meter of length). | | | | operator knows exactly how the machine runs and |
| Thus, if you will be working with hundreds of tons of | | | | what buttons to press when it goes out of hand to |
| raw materials with more that 10 feet of working | | | | contain the damage. |