At ACRA machinery, we have a variety of the highest quality industrial-grade equipment available for your business. Our most popular item is the Durma press brake, but we also have hydraulic guillotines, corner notches, turret punches and laser cutters available. To someone without industrial experience, these machines sound like something you might find in a sci-fi movie, but what are they, and how do they function? Find out more:
Sheet metal guillotines
Probably the most familiar name on the list, an industrial guillotine is used to slice sheet metal. The metal is fastened with a clamp whilst an angled blade is forced down and slices along with the desired cut, from one side of the material to the other. Sheet metal guillotines are used to perform precise, straight-line cuts on metal, minimising sheet distortion. After the metal is sliced, the pieces usually fall or slide down a ramp to be collected and recovered. Hydraulic guillotines and mechanical guillotines are both available at ACRA Machinery.
Laser Cutter
This one is also straightforward. Laser cutters generate a high-powered laser that punctures through sheet metal and other material due to the immense heat created. The material melts or disintegrates, allowing the laser to be used as a slicing tool. The benefits of laser cutting technology include the ability to cut in more diverse and nuanced shapes with immense precision, rather than simply a straight line, corner, or hole. The slicing direction, movements and function of the laser is programmed in advance into the laser’s computer, resulting in incredibly reliable and accurate outcomes. The laser even has angular capabilities to generate bevelled edges on slices, and materials are less likely to warp with a precise laser in comparison to other slicing techniques. Other industrial machinery requires the sheet metal to be hand-positioned in a specific location to be sliced or punctured; meanwhile, with a laser cutter, the sheet metal remains in the same location, whilst the dynamic laser head repositions itself to match the next laser cut. Our fibre laser cutters boast an IPG power range of 0.5kW to 10kW and have faster processing times and higher productivity than CO2 counterparts. The small diameter of fibre laser beams (up to 100x smaller) means they can create much thinner slices in sheet metal and less overall waste. At ACRA Machinery, we recommend using fibre lasers for reflective metals such as brass, copper, aluminium, and stainless steel.
Corner Notcher
An industrial corner notcher is another cutting machine, except used to generate incisions or slices at a perpendicular angle. The machine functions very similarly to a guillotine. The sheet metal is fastened with a clamp whilst an angled blade is forced down to create an incision into the material. The corner notcher creates slices with a singular downwards cut like a guillotine, rather than slicing along a path, like a laser. However, the blade is angled in a ‘v’ shape, creating the desired perpendicular slice. At ACRA Machinery, we supply the Durma VN 2006 corner notcher, which provides a variable notch angle, meaning the ‘v’ slice can be adjusted from anywhere between 30 degrees and 140 degrees. The operator can control when the slice is going to occur via pressing down on a foot pedal, whilst the excess metal sliced off falls into a retrieval tray positioned below the corner notcher blade.
Turret Punches
Turret punches are used in industrial settings to push a hole (usually a circle) through a piece of metal. The sheet metal is positioned flat and fastened with clamps, like the rest of the slicing techniques, to prevent movement and warping. The bench that the sheet is resting on top of manoeuvres back/forward, left/right to position the sheet underneath the centrally aligned turret. This functions in a similar manner to the laser cutter, as all the actions require programming beforehand. Whilst the laser head moves to create the incisions, for the turret punch, the sheet metal itself is repositioned. The Durma turret punch, available at ACRA machinery, has a series of settings to manipulate the metal in various ways and create holes of different shapes and sizes. Not all holes are going to be identical, so the Durma punch offers variability of options for many sheet metal solutions.
Interested in new industrial machinery for your business?
ACRA Machinery’s Dandenong warehouse stocks a variety of high-quality industrial machinery from hydraulic guillotines, corner notches, laser cutters and turret punches. With over 150 years of experience, our technicians will cater to all your sheet metal needs to ensure you have the highest quality machinery and functionality for your warehouse.
If you’re looking to increase your workshop’s capabilities or if you have any questions about press brake repairs or maintenance, get in touch with us by calling 03 9794 6674 or contact us via our online enquiry form.