Anything Manufacturing - Small to Medium Scale Metal Work (CAD/CAM included!)

They did far more in a few minutes than Hypertherm did the many times we spoke and emailed back and forth.

I didn't even mention this but I had created a folder on my Google drive which I shared with both Hypertherm and Langmuir. I not only uploaded videos but also pictures of test cuts, diagnostics, and more to prove the full extent of my troubleshooting.

Langmuir actively offered help as much as they could, including replacing items that were already outside of warranty, as well as creating their own test cuts for me and sending me their own processed files.

Just glad I'm up and running again, with my table running the way it should be.

 

No one else has been cutting or bending?

@Zebinator

Have yet to see that badass press brake working for you!

 

I finished these if that counts but I am nowhere near a manufacturer. But bending punching and dimpling happened. Soon I will be ready to weld after I run a couple practice beads in a mock environment to decide if I will switch to .030 or stick with the .035 in the machine currently.

Untitled by MJH Creations, on Flickr
Untitled by MJH Creations, on Flickr
Untitled by MJH Creations, on Flickr

Really wanting a press brake setup for my press now.

 

@Kwikvette can your bender setup bend 12g pretty easily? I remember you showing the setup and the tooling you had but can't remember it now.

 

Just started the new day job which has kept me busy. An since I will be ending up on night shift. Its gonma take a bit to readjust. But one good thing.is the weather is alot cooler.

 

Easily.

With the 4 way die I can bend up to 3/16" as that's what these stiffeners are -





Without the die, I could still do 1/4" for the width of 10".

Which reminds me, you need those mounts!

 

The awning mounts right? Yeah I am still on the fence if it's worth making them for the current rack or just wait till I actually get the trailrax since they already have engineered mounts for that and I will need that if I am going to do a big trip with my son next year anyway.

You posted all the tooling info in the garage shop tools thread right?

 

I think there's less info there and more info in the anything welding thread, which is what prompted this thread.

Some of us working on CNC, bending shit, and more kept deviating from welding

But if you're going to get a press brake you've got a few options -

At home, precision work, you can opt for the Langmuir 25T CNC press brake.

Has a nice working width, uses standard American tooling, and will make repeatability a breeze.

For a "bolt together" setup you can use a Harbor Freight press, and go with Swag Offroad's Pro brake kit. They offer it with tooling and without, and best of all, is also meant for American tooling.

However, the bottom die holder not only accepts the 1/2" tang used on such tooling but opens up to over 5" so you can use a 2-way, 4-way, or any custom bottom block you choose.

And the cheapest would be a Harbor Freight press, or DIY, and getting one of Swag Offroads weld it yourself kits.

Below that, you've got plenty of cheap options on Ebay that are made similarly like the one Swag sells.

 

And then there's the option I went with, which is the Trick Tool's Bend Press.



It has a far less working width than any Swag 20 ton kit. Cheaper than their Pro, but more expensive than their weld it kits, it offers far nicer bends since it uses nicer tooling.

But opting for their Pro will net you a wider working width as well as the option to use nice tooling so you'll easily get quality bends you couldn't get on their cheaper models.

Since I've got a small space, and I don't require bending large parts (at the moment), the Bend Press is perfect for me.

 

@Kwikvette I'm dying to! It's been a nutty fall. Wife and I are contemplating a big move and we've been traveling a ton. And then there's the rest of life going on. But there is a back log of stuff to get going! My truck survived misadventures in MT - (got a salvage engine, and then a head gasket on that engine) and that plus a bunch of time in a bronco this summer gave me tons of ideas for the Taco.

Not being here has thrown some rocks in the gears as far as final debugging the press. The latest is that the plates that clamp the punches/ram geometry are off so my punch-to-die height is coming out .003-.007 too short, making everything overbend a bit. Langmuir has been awesome, I just haven't been home enough to respond to their questions! Argh! But I'm learning a ton re sheet tolerances, grain direction, etc. Really need a cutter.

 

Damn, sounds like a lot on your plate.

Yeah after my whole table problem, I have to say Langmuir was really involved and happy to help any way they could to help resolve the issue.

 

@Kwikvette So, if you had to do it again and you only had room for a crossfire pro-sized machine, would you get it and the hypertherm? Or would you stick with the razorweld if you're not running production? I will never run the machine all day long... for me it's about getting the highest quality result as quickly as possible. Ideally on the first try.

 

Good question.

Whether it's limited work, or day to day production, I'd still want the best possible cut quality.

The razorweld will net you great results, with the style consumable it uses.

But so will a PrimeWeld CUT60 and that costs several hundreds less.

I got the Hypertherm for two reasons - consumable life is far greater than anything else, and to utilize the cut charts and ohmic sensing used on STV tables. Their tables are centered around Hypertherm machines so I'd rather run a Hypertherm than anything else on their tables.

 

Are you upgrading to an STV? or just using their charts? (aware I could have missed something!)

 

In another year or two, yes I am going to switch to an STV table.

I had suggested you go that route a few times in the other thread

But what I didn't plan for is having purchased a 45XP as early as I did. That purchase wasn't supposed to happen for another year or so until the STV table was within reach. I don't need a Hypertherm now but since I came across what I considered to be a good deal, I figured why not?

Was only $1800 brand new with a $200+ pack of consumables.

 

I should be getting to my project early in Nov. Theres been alot of pressing issues around the house to take care of before winter taking all my free time.

 

I noticed getting closer towards the end of the year, I get less requests for stuff before ramping back up around late February or early March.

Made motor mounts on Saturday and the shop won't need any more until next year, and aside from one or two small things from members in the forum, custom requests have really slowed down.

 

Made this for the FB group, but figured maybe someone here can benefit from it so sharing it -

https://youtu.be/k9nOHb-8AsA?si=RsCuNdS-_KCmGb_q

 

oh I know.... trying to figure out how to "justify" it. LOL!!!!

 

I sincerely appreciate the videos. I don’t get to play with it as much as I would like so repetition is key for me. Thanks for taking the time to do this. This also reminded me to start creating and saving specific toolsets for each metal type and thickness.