How to choose the right machine for metalworking

We must bear in mind that metal is used in many sectors - from construction to furniture, from heavy and light industry to the manufacture of everyday products - and that it is often subjected to many types of processing and finishing.

We have already described the different machining operations that can be carried out with metalworking machines. Now we are going to talk about what aspects you need to consider when choosing the best metalworking machine.

How do you choose the best machine for machining metal?

At EMC METAL when we meet our customers we try to understand from the outset what their needs are and what their workflows are.

Specifically:

• What material do you process? 

As we have already said, it is essential to understand the type of material to be machined: iron, stainless steel, aluminium, etc. The metals are numerous and differ in their physical and chemical properties. Metals are numerous and differ in their physical and chemical properties. The characteristics of metals are due to the particular organisation of their atoms and require specific processing.

• What is the workpiece made from?

Another important aspect of determining the type of machine best suited to your company's needs is knowing the workflow from which the workpiece is made. Here are some examples: laser cutting, plasma cutting, oxyfuel cutting, punching.  

• What kind of machining do you want to do?

We have seen that there are many types of processing with different characteristics and results:

• • Deburring
  • Finishing
  • Edge rounding
  • Calamine removal 
  • R2

 

• What is the productivity required by our machine?

Understanding the production flow, the estimated hours of work per day and the amount of parts to be produced per day is important to understand which automatic machine is most suitable. For example, if you require a daily throughput of a few hours, a simple, low-cost machine such as the Easy M1100 will be the right choice. If, on the other hand, the requirement is to work in line with other machines and on 2 or 3 shifts per day, then the choice will inevitably have to fall on models structured to guarantee such productivity (FLEXY, GIANT).

• What are the dimensions of the workpieces to be machined?

Knowing the width, length and thickness of the workpiece is necessary. Our machines have different characteristics, so choosing the right option will be crucial. As in the case of the magnet table if we are talking about iron parts or a "vacuum table" for all other materials. These options solve the vast majority of problems associated with machining small parts. 

• Are there any specific requirements? 

Each company has its own specific methods, processes and requirements, depending also on the finished product to be manufactured. During our work it happens that some of our customers have specific requirements in terms of roughness and surface finish. In this case we recommend the installation and use of specific options or special work units that can guarantee the required finish. As in the case of one of our customers in England who required a specific degree of roughness, so once we had established the degree of roughness of the workpiece still to be machined, we identified how many steps of different grits he needed to perform to achieve the target in a single machine pass. For this he was given the machine FLEXY with 4 belt units and a Scotch Brite brush at the outlet.

 

Thanks to our experience in the sector, the expertise of our staff, the choice of first-class tools and above all our knowledge of the customer's needs, we propose the ideal solution to ensure the increased performance and efficiency of the machines.

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