Selecting The Right Ironworker
Choosing the right ironworker machine is critical to ensure the success of your business and investment.
Long considered the workhorse of the shop, an ironworker is a versatile machine that performs a variety of operations including punching, shear rod, flat bar, angle, channel notch angle iron, pipe, bend, stamp and form, often supplying enough fabricated materials to keep a half dozen assemblers or welders occupied.Understanding Ironworker Capacity
To determine the tonnage required, you need to know the maximum hole diameter that needs to be punched; the maximum thickness of the material, and the maximum thickness and width of the channel, angle, and rod to be sheared or bent, as ironworkers are rated by tonnage at the punch station.
Because ironworkers can process just about any length, normally you don't need to worry about material length, but width is very important. The throat depth of an ironworker punch station should be greater than half of the part or material width.
To ensure your machine is scalable for years of growth, we recommend that you buy an ironworker that is 20% larger than your current usage requirements.
Always compare the rating in tons and the diameter of the hole and thickness of material it can punch.
Type of Ironworking Machine and tooling options
The type of shop you run will determine the type of ironworker you need. Because they don't require tooling changes, structural steel fabricators often prefer machines with stations that are permanently built in. These machines offer punching stations, angle shears, rod shears, notchers, and short flat bar shears alhtough other tooling options are limited.
General welding, fabrication, maintenance, and structural steel fabricator normally need an ironworker that provides a wider variety of tooling that can adapt to all customer needs and often prefer tabletop tooling concepts, which provide a wider variety of tooling.
In addition to angle shears, rod shears, notchers, and flat bar shears, tabletop ironworkers also offer press brake bending attachments, tube shears, channel shears, pipe notchers, V notchers, picket tools, square tube shears, and other special tooling. Tablebop machines offer more variety of tooling than those with built-in stations, but time is required to switch from one operation to the next.
Ironworker ANSI B 11-5 Safety Standards
ANSI B 11-5 safety standard require that the guarding can be adjusted to within 1/4 in. of the material to be punched, and to the bottom of the guard to prevent operators from getting between the material and the stripping mechanism.
Additionally, instructions for proper alignment of the punch and dies are critical to ensure a punch will not bend, flake or explode.
Ironworker Quality Indicators
Not all iron worker machines are created equal. In addition to the standard features, look for these little known quality indicators including the size of pivot points and beam strength, how much shock is produced and number of grease points.
Force is generated and transferred through the pivot points and the beam so consideration of the size of the pivots points and beam strength is required.
Excess shock may be recognized by a loud popping sound when the ironworker punches and may indicate the beam is stretching and snapping back into place. Over time, this shock can cause welds to break, as well as other failures.
All ironworkers require grease points on pivot points and guide assemblies, but beware of machines that have an excessive number of grease points (more than10) which may indicate an effort to correct galling problems.
Active Machinery Sales offers quality Edwards Ironworker machines and Baileigh Ironworker for sale. Call or email us today and we can help you find the perfect machine for your shop.