Technology – The Triumphs and The Setbacks

Today’s CNC press brakes come with all the bells and whistled. Special functions that require a special someone to run it all. Understanding this piece of machinery, how the functions work, when and why to apply them …is all an imperative part of the process.

Dwell and decompression is just one of the many features the CNC is capable of, but understanding what these features do is part of the all-important aforementioned process.

Some fabrication companies might consider that, because this is the newest press brake, which provides an advanced controller, and precision-ground tooling … they needn’t concern themselves with the ins and outs of this equipment to the full extent. After all, rocket science isn’t comprised of making metal boxes.

True.

Also true is that people with advanced skills are hard to come by. But if no one at your shop knows what those “dwell and decompression” functions are, no one will be able to make best use of the shop’s advanced technology.

At Absolute Fabrication, we aim to understand our client’s needs, and the equipment that will achieve those needs.

The short and sweet is this …Dwell pauses the ram at the bottom of the stroke, and it’s generally used in bottom bending. Holding the material briefly under load allows the sheet metal’s molecular structure to realign, reducing springback and stabilizing the work piece.

Decompression, on the other hand, releases the pressure at the bottom of the stroke in a very controlled fashion. Decompression improves forming consistency, especially if you are working with material that has a fair amount of springback, such as air-forming high-strength steel. If the technician on the floor knew this, he could communicate this with his supervisors and others and incorporate these functions for certain jobs, making the operation more efficient and accurate.

Although the customer does not need to understand the functionality of our equipment, they should rest assured – we do. And we are capable of utilizing both modern and old school equipment, in whatever capacity allows us to do an effective and efficient job!