Time and time again, sheet metal shops often find themselves in a predicament when it comes to figuring out what to do with their old press brakes. They could always choose to sell their old press brake and buy a new one, but that comes with logistical nightmares and possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in incurred costs. Instead of doing this, a cost-effective way to bring an old but functioning press brake back to life is by retrofitting it with tools that can help reduce scrap, fatigue and set up time. In order to determine if retrofitting your press brake is the right option for your shop, there are three steps that you should take into consideration.
Evaluate Your Press Brake’s Condition
There are several important items that one should consider when evaluating a press brake:
- Ram Accuracy
- Pedestal Control
- Backguage Control
- Press Brake Control
Learn What You’re Working With
If your shop is going to go heard and retrofit your existing press brake, you need to know what you have to work with. For example, you need to know whether your press brake is either a mechanical or hydraulic press brake or if it is something else.
Beyond knowing the type of press brake you have, you should know what the pain points are on it. Ask yourself some of these questions:
- Tool Changes: Am I constantly changing your tooling? Are tool changes a pain to deal with? Do my die heights change?
- Guage Adjustments: Am I handling the same part multiple times?
- Depth/Angles: Do you frequently have to adjust the ram depth or angle manually?
Other items can be addressed, too. Taking a full assessment of what your press brake can do better (or used to do better) can help point out exactly what needs improvement.
Finalize a Solution
By this time, you should be able to do one of three things. You should know whether or not you want to either 1) keep your press brake as is, 2) purchase a new press brake, or 3) retrofit your current press brake and save money.