John Ripka

Metal fabricators are familiar with forming shapes such as louvers on a punching machine, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Punching tools today can produce forms, such as hinges, which could be used to streamline production on the shop floor. Fabricators just need to open their eyes and take in the possibilities.

Hole-intensive punching work can induce significant stress into the workpiece. To mitigate this requires a careful look at programming and tooling.

Several factors come into play when trying to determine the appropriate lifespan of a punch before major maintenance or replacement is required. If a fabricating operation is knowledgeable about punching activities and vigilant about organization and maintenance, it can expect to get the most out of its tooling.