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Punching shapes from composite board?

Posted by Bobby McCormack on 27 September 2011 at 21:07

Has anyone ever punched holes or basic shapes from composite? as I have a customer with a large volume order looking to speed up the process of cutting a hole and a shape form material. Hole is 150mm and the oblong shape 150mm x 50mm with rounded ends.

Thanks in advance,

Bobby

Bobby McCormack replied 14 years ago 7 Members · 15 Replies
15 Replies

Robert Lambie

Member
27 September 2011 at 21:26

other than routering via CNC machine, nop, never heard of it Bobby.
ide "guess" there would be some form of indentation of the composite on impact would there not? i just mean because its a soft material?

is the old way of making road sign blanks from aluminum not via a sort of cutting die that requires allot of pressure, force behind it? i know you dont mean like this but ide guess you would need some sort of machine to evenly come down and punch the hole. if that makes sense? bit like a dough cutter for cakes/ biscuits?

i bet im off on one and totally getting this wrong? 😳 :lol1:
David Rowland

Member
27 September 2011 at 21:30

well there is CNC punch presses that are like cnc’s routers but uses tooling to create the shapes we need… for 150mm circles that sounds quite large.

I dont have experience on using a machine, but thin stainless is cut this way.

Cutting thru dibond, say 3mm, now sure at all… but rob you got a guiloteen and does that cut a nice clean edge on 3mm?
Bobby McCormack

Member
27 September 2011 at 21:40

quote Robert Lambie:

other than routering via CNC machine, nop, never heard of it Bobby.
ide “guess” there would be some form of indentation of the composite on impact would there not? i just mean because its a soft material?

is the old way of making road sign blanks from aluminum not via a sort of cutting die that requires allot of pressure, force behind it? i know you dont mean like this but ide guess you would need some sort of machine to evenly come down and punch the hole. if that makes sense? bit like a dough cutter for cakes/ biscuits?

i bet im off on one and totally getting this wrong? 😳 :lol1:

Take your point Rob and that pretty much would have been my thinking. Will ask the manufacturer tomorrow but thought I would ask here as there is so much experience.

Bobby
Bobby McCormack

Member
27 September 2011 at 21:41

Thanks for photoshopping my photo rob I look much better now :lol1:
Robert Lambie

Member
27 September 2011 at 21:50

quote Bobby McCormack:

Thanks for photoshopping my photo rob I look much better now :lol1:

i only removed the Horns, Red eyes and handlebar Mustache. 😉 :lol1:
Bobby McCormack

Member
27 September 2011 at 21:52

quote Robert Lambie:

quote Bobby McCormack:

Thanks for photoshopping my photo rob I look much better now :lol1:

i only removed the Horns, Red eyes and handlebar Mustache. 😉 :lol1:

You know me too well already pal!
Nicola McIntosh

Member
27 September 2011 at 21:57

were you out with cameron today in lanarkshire? 😀
Kevin Flowers

Member
27 September 2011 at 22:07

Can’t be 100% sure but aren’t the composite swatches cut in that way.

Kev
Robert Lambie

Member
27 September 2011 at 22:13

quote Kevin Flowers:

Can’t be 100% sure but aren’t the composite swatches cut in that way.

Kev

good point Kev, never thought about that…
ide imagine the die etc to be setup already for this sort of thing though and they are small. never the less, they do look as if they have been, like you say.

Dave, yeh we have a guillotine mate, but ide imagine a different scenario to this. a guillotine is a sheer, the material is hung over an edge, its clamped from top and bottom flat, then the sheer comes down "slicing" the material as opposed to chopping / punching into it. if you see what i mean?
Martin Pearson

Member
27 September 2011 at 23:28

Wouldn’t be a problem for an engineering firm to punch them out if they had the right equipment. Toolmaker should be able to make the dies pretty easily as it’s a basic shape. Not quite sure what the cost involved would be though.
Bobby McCormack

Member
28 September 2011 at 06:32

quote Nicola McIntosh:

were you out with cameron today in lanarkshire? 😀

Yes that was me,
David McDonald

Member
28 September 2011 at 15:44

Hi Mate

Do a Google a search for ‘clicker press’, or ‘swing arm press’.

I’ve used these before with carbide tipped tools that you can get made up in pretty much any shape. Not actually stamped out any aluminium composite but have used them on thin ali sheet and the tools still seemed to last ages. There must be a local engineering company with one, or you can pick a press up second hand fairly cheap.

Cheers
Macky
Nicola McIntosh

Member
28 September 2011 at 18:20

quote Bobby McCormack:

quote Nicola McIntosh:

were you out with cameron today in lanarkshire? 😀

Yes that was me,

good to put a name to your face, I know camerons too well :lol1: :lol1:
Bobby McCormack

Member
28 September 2011 at 18:42

quote David McDonald:

Hi Mate

Do a Google a search for ‘clicker press’, or ‘swing arm press’.

I’ve used these before with carbide tipped tools that you can get made up in pretty much any shape. Not actually stamped out any aluminium composite but have used them on thin ali sheet and the tools still seemed to last ages. There must be a local engineering company with one, or you can pick a press up second hand fairly cheap.

Cheers
Macky

Thanks for that it’s a great help.
Bobby McCormack

Member
28 September 2011 at 18:44

quote Nicola McIntosh:

quote Bobby McCormack:

quote Nicola McIntosh:

were you out with cameron today in lanarkshire? 😀

Yes that was me,

good to put a name to your face, I know camerons too well :lol1: :lol1:

Won’t get involved in a conversation Cams face as he reads these posts and is my boss!….but you feel free Nicola!