Planning a Component That Needs More Than One Operation

A component that is cut, formed and welded passes through three setups, and each one can move a dimension. Planning the sequence before the drawing is released costs less than correcting the first article after it is built.

The sequence is usually cut, form, weld, finish

Most work follows the same order. The flat part is cut, the bends go in on the press brake, the formed parts are welded into the assembly, and finishing happens after welding is complete. Anything that has to be machined, such as a tapped hole, is best done before forming if the hole location allows it, because a bent part is harder to hold.

Finishing is coordinated through partner shops, not performed in the KorFab building. That is a real step in the schedule, not a detail at the end.

Bend geometry decides more than it looks

The press brake has a 3,000 mm (118 in) bend length with 2,550 mm (100.4 in) between the frames, and 400 mm (16 in) of throat depth. A part that exceeds any of those is not automatically out, but it has to be planned around. Longer parts can be formed in more than one hit where the geometry allows, and a part that has to pass between the frames has a width limit that no tonnage figure tells you about.

Press force is 135 metric tons. The force a particular bend needs depends on material, thickness, bend length, die opening and method, which is why a quoted thickness limit is confirmed per part rather than taken from a chart maximum.

The drawing problem that comes up most often is a feature placed too close to a bend. A hole, slot or notch within the bend zone distorts when the material is formed. Moving it a short distance away, or accepting that it is cut after forming, is a design decision worth making before the drawing is issued rather than after the first part is bent.

Welding is chosen per joint, not per customer

Repeat joints on production parts run on the cobot cell, which follows the same programmed path from the first piece to the last. It welds MIG on carbon steel, stainless steel and nickel, with 18 gauge as the minimum material thickness, and multi pass programming is typically used on welds larger than 3/8 in.

Odd single parts, tight access and out of position joints stay with a hand welder. The cell also needs the joint to be reachable and the part held in a fixture. Fixturing is quoted with the work, and it is only worth building when the part repeats.

What the drawing should show

• The finished geometry, with formed dimensions, not only the flat pattern.
• Which dimensions are functional, so the ones that matter are held and the rest are not.
• Hole callouts with size and thread, and whether they are cut or drilled.
• Bend lines and inside radii, or a note that the shop may choose them.
• Weld symbols or a description of the joint, rather than "weld all round" on a part where one side is visible.
• The finish and the colour, if it is decided.

Why one shop for the whole sequence helps

When cutting, forming and welding happen in the same building, a bend that will not close or a hole that lands in the bend zone is caught before delivery rather than at the assembly bench on site. That is the practical reason to keep the operations together, not a marketing one.