Hello folks, been a while since I have posted something in this area and this post is the result of a machine use issue in our shop. Most of you likely don't have the type of employees who will use their foot to turn a machine on/off, but we, our students, "apparently" do. I finally got tired of just telling folks not to do this sort of thing and decided to address the issue with a modification to our machines.
Part of this involved coming up with a "one shot" punch/die system to simplify the fabrication process. Since these parts have a fairly narrow internal clearance and long "legs" I wanted to avoid having to back-break the parts and flatten them after making the bends on the legs. I have included some pictures of the parts and process. Hope you folks enjoy this little "trick". Now, for those of you who really ARE machinists please cut me a little bit of slack, the machining is NOT up to most industry standards. Best regards, Allan