When jobs require the bending of sheet or plate metal, CNC press brakes are an efficient piece of machinery that offers the quality precision you expect. Not all press brakes are created equal and that is because every project is different, this is why we put emphasis on our extensive offering of brakes that vary in tonnage limits and working lengths. It is also important to consider the benefits of mechanical versus hydraulic powered models.
Mechanical press brakes use energy that is added to a flywheel which driven by an electric motor and are valued for their accuracy. Hydraulic brakes use two synchronized hydraulic cylinders that use smooth power strokes to help avoid the slipping of materials.
Most of our models are equipped with intuitive computerized systems to make managing tasks less demanding. Our machines offer broad range of capacities from small to huge tonnage for a diversity of projects. You are sure to find a range of brakes to fit your project with our vast assortment of models to choose from.
So, you’ve made the decision you’re going to buy a new CNC press brake. Here is the problem though, that last time you purchased a new press brake from a local dealer, you found out their backup wasn’t all it should have been. Unfortunate set of circumstances to be sure, but here is the “shiny side of the coin,” when you went to begin your search for a new press brake this time, you went looking for some knowledgeable sources for this equipment. That’s how you ended up here.
The world is literally at your fingertips when you come to Bud's Machine Tools for a new CNC press brake. Whatever design style or type of press brake that is currently available on the market, you can get right here. Does the budget allow for a bit more upfront cost, with the idea of long term savings utilizing the latest technology available, we have a press brake for that. Possibly you were thinking you would go for the latest in hydraulic operation and get the specific options to make the brake almost custom for your operations, you guessed it, we got a press brake for that as well. Let’s say you got a specific number from the boss that you could spend getting whatever you want in a press brake, and so you begin to think. If I go to the series of brakes that come with 3 axis as standard, maybe I could get a twelve-footer instead of a ten-footer, yep, got a press brake for that. For the more budget sensitive group, we have many options of lesser expensive machines made to do lighter gauge material without all the bells and whistles. What if you need a small four-foot brake but you don’t want to give up anything operationally that it’s bigger brothers have, we have one with sixty-six ton bending force and a world-renowned CNC controller. While we are on the topic of small press brakes, we can supply as small as a twenty-four-inch width press brake with twelve ton bending force.
That’s a two-part question, one part easy one part not so much, but fun either way. We’ll answer the second part first, yes you can get it here, the technology part, that’ll take a little bit longer. The technology part is where the fun comes in. In a world intent in reducing its carbon foot print, some designs are taking that philosophy literally. Imagine a press brake that has not one drop, let alone 70 gallons of hydraulic oil! The press brake is totally electric in its design and has not one hose, one valve, one large tank or any of the required components needed for hydraulic operation. This new machine is driven by inverter controlled servo motors via ground and hardened ball screws. This new revolutionary drive system is self-lubricating for maximum life. In this new machine design the drive system is not the only thing that has been engineered to the next level. The machines new frame design (base) was evaluated with some of the most sophisticated software and measuring devices available to industry today. What was created from all that effort, is the most ridged frame and base ever devised for a production press brake. O.K. so you got all the precision and repeatability you could ever want. Here’s another benefit of the servo drive, the machine does not gather heat as the day goes on as do hydraulic machines, which require adjustments because of the difference created by excessive heat. The servo drives are virtually silent in their operation while being the fastest machine movement currently available, adding to the number of completed parts at the end of the day. But of course, we leave the best for last, who among us can remember the last time your electrical bill went down? That’s right, never, this is the biggest advantage of the all-electric press bake and its design. In the very broadest average the all-electric press brake consumes at a minimum, 40% less electricity than a conventional press brake. In many comparisons, the all-electric press brake has shown as much as a 60% drop in the consumption of electricity. If you do a lot of bending in an area of the country that might have a higher electrical rate, your operational savings begins to become very noticeable.
Whether your business is captive manufacturing, or quick turn-around short run jobs shop, or maybe you’re a prototype shop, one thing’s is for sure: if your chosen field of expertise is in the fabricating industry, then then you undoubtedly need one of these. It is the modern CNC hydraulic press brake. It was not so long ago that this type of hydraulically-driven CNC press brake was the epitome of the species, in other words at the pinnacle of their type. Why is that a good thing today? Well, CNC hydraulic press brakes have evolved into a thoroughbred production bending machine that is fast, accurate, easy to set-up and control. In addition to all of that, the competition in the industry has been fierce, and every manufacturer is striving to come up with any improvements they can conceive of. What this all boils down to are powerful, fully automatic, high speed production bending machines whose only limit of capability is controlled by the very budget approved for their purchase.
As briefly mentioned above, today’s modern CNC hydraulic press brake was the brake that swept all other kinds of press brakes with previous operational designs. Stated another way, the new CNC hydraulic press brakes quickly replaced what was left of the mechanical style press brake in its many varied designs. And as well it should. One of the most important aspects of CNC hydraulic press brakes are their outstanding improvement in operator safety. Indeed, safety wasn’t the only thing improved on the new CNC hydraulic press brakes. As an example, we will look to the Durma line of hydraulic brakes carried Bud's Machine Tools relative to the comments concerning quality aspects of these machines. An incredible amount of design effort went into the foundation of these metal brakes. Rigidity was the objective, and was delivered in spades on the Durma machine line. Twin heavy duty linear type rails connect the upper ram structure to the base of these outstanding CNC press brakes. Two precisely controlled hydraulic cylinders deliver exceptional repeatability and upper ram control. Due to the widened stance of the new lower structure, both gap and throat depth are much improved over other models. For anyone who has ever had to set-up a metal brake, you know that every inch of opening is worth its weight in gold. For most kinds of sheet metal bending a serious back gauge is an extreme asset for any kind of piece part large or small. Completely computer controlled, the Durma back gauge works efficiently to place the material quickly and accurately in preparation to bend. As the topic indicates, we are talking about CNC hydraulic press brakes, that means in shortened definition, that these machines are indeed controlled by a computer. These controllers can offer the owner the ability, depending on which controller you go with, up to as many as 14 controllable axes in production. With all this innovation and improvement in designs we have discussed above, we have not spoken one word about the most important aspect of a company’s decision to purchase a new sheet metal brake: who do you buy one from?
In the days of yore, the old English novel would start out: “First came the mechanical press brake.” The mechanical press brake took on quite a few forms before it finally became a reliable machine. From first being powered by falling water, then animal-driven, then steam powered, the press brake made the rounds before becoming a fully motorized mechanical marvel. Usher in the era of the hydraulic press brake, it too had an illustrious history of design and improvement. In fact, the hydraulic press brake was kind of running out of ways that manufacturers could make theirs different from their competitors. Ta-da, enter stage right, the beginning of a new age, where some press brakes will have a hydraulic system which will not be the only drive on the machine. Our definition of a “hybrid press brake” is a press brake that has hydraulic and servo drive combined to give the new design unheard of capabilities, just when a new definition of the modern press brake was so urgently needed.
Just about the time you think they can’t come up with another possible improvement to the modern press brake, along comes the hydraulic and servo motor driven hybrid press brake, bringing with it a whole host of new capabilities. The benefits to the operator of a hybrid servo-hydraulic production press brake when compared to a recent model hydraulic-specific machine are stunning! Let’s talk about raw speed first, as these servo-hydraulic press brakes are exceptionally fast, in many comparisons twice as fast as some of their hydraulic-only competitors. Production improvements of as much as 150% are being realized by the first of the progressive companies that have made the investment. No less important is the major reduction in operational cost of these new hybrid press brakes. Because of the design of on-demand hydraulics coupled with a much smaller hydraulic system, these new hybrid press brakes consume up to 60% less energy by the hour with 15 press cycles per hour. Not only do they offer super-fast cycle times and considerable operational cost savings, these machines will usually come standard with sophisticated CNC 5-axis controllers with 2D and 3D programming, as well as direct navigation auto-bend and collision detection. (Plus, they are super quiet!)
Bud's Machine Tools that’s who! Bryan "Bud" Jorgenson learned the fine art of machine tool sales at his father Roger's side, and carries on the tradition today. Roger's first big sale back in bygone days was a press brake, and press brakes have been in his family's blood ever since. Bryan loves to talk brakes with customers, and the staff at Bud's has become expert in the placement of both new and used press brakes to meet a customer's needs. A very important (yet sometimes overlooked) trait for a good machinery seller is that company’s ability to solve your problem when one occurs with your new press brake. Be it an operational issue or a piece part production question, at Bud's we can frequently solve your problem right over the phone. Our service engineers enjoy one of the best reputations in the industry for fixing a machine right the first time.
