Newsflash

We will be at Metalcon 2008 at the Baltimore Convention Centre

1st - 3rd October 2008

Come and see us on Stand 2075

 
Home arrow Frame Machine arrow How Does the Howick Frame Machine Work?
How Does the Howick Frame Machine Work?

1 Rollforming
The Frame Machine takes raw material in the form of steel coil. Typically a coil weighing 1500kg is used which measures about 870 linear metres (for 1.2mm thick). Coil width is typically 184mm wide to roll a standard 3.5" channel profile. This coil is unspooled off a decoiler and fed into the machine where it is progressively formed into a "C" channel profile using a series of forming rollers

2 Individual Processing
While the coil is being formed up into a channel a series of specific tool operations are perfomed on the profile. These individual punch/tool operations are positioned accurately and grouped according to the components actual end use and are determined by the CAD design software used. Holes are punched for wiring/plumbing services or screw/rivet fixings and specific profile operations are performed to allow intersection junctions. For example the combination of a "Swage" and a "Dimple" gives an end detail required for a Stud component whereas a "Lip Cut" and "Dimple" combined gives the relevant junction required for the stud to fit inside the bottom plate. If a brace was to join onto the bottom plate you may prefer to "Swage" and "Dimple" the Bottom Plate and the Brace would have a "Lip Cut", "Notch" and "Dimple" to allow it to fit neatly over the Bottom Plate. None of these tool operations are preset in their spaceing and are specifcally calculated according to the stud spacings, brace angles, service hole paths or whatever design information has been in the CAD software.

3 Final Assembly
As ALL of the cutting, notching and drilling normally required for the creation of framing has been done within the machine the framing only requires bring clicked together by the self locating recess dimples and then fastened eith either screws or rivets. All the individual parts have been labelled by the inkjet printer and their ID will match the frame drawing from the CAD system.

 
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