The sheet metal department is a key area in the PWR facility that services many other departments including but not limited to core build teams, fabrication/assembly teams, cold plate/micro matrix build teams, and prototyping/testing teams. The supply of sheet metal components to these areas makes for a high demand environment and it is critically important that we maintain work order deadlines, sufficient resource efficiency, and a high level of quality control processes.
The natural evolution of the company and the industry means that the sheet metal parts are often extremely intricate components requiring robust processes and advanced machine operation. Components in regular production include but are not limited to:
- Core side bands and header plates
- Consumable parts required to assist core build processes
- Assembly side bands, tanks, brackets, and fan shrouds
- Templates and jigs required to assist fabrication/assembly processes
- Various plates and components for cold plate/micro matrix parts
- Large scope of work for product prototyping and development
- Components to support various in-house testing methods and auxiliary processes
These sheet metal components are being produced from our raw sheet material stock that we have on site which includes but is not limited to 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, and 6000 series aluminium alloys.
Through the growth of the company and the evolution of its sheet metal requirements PWR has maintained its relationship with Japanese machine manufacturer AMADA. The PWR facility now houses five state of the art sheet metal fabrication machines of the AMADA brand including:
- 1 x DCT Series Shearing Machine (DCT3065)
- 2 x AE-NT Series CNC Turret Punch Press (AE2510NT)
- 1 x LCG Series CNC Laser Cutter (LCG3015AJ) With LST Series Shuttle Table (LST3015G)
- 1 x HG Series Brake Press (HG8025)
The DCT Series Shearing Machine is an electric guillotine used for cutting sheet metal as required. The guillotine has a 3m blade capable of shearing through aluminium and steel materials between 0.5 and 6.0mm. The guillotine is used for cutting simple rectangular parts for production and cutting sheet material down to manageable size blanks for turret and/or laser cutting processes.
The AE-NT Series CNC Turret Punch Press is a blank cutting machine using a series of custom tooling held in a tooling carousel. The machine operates from a program which instructs the machine to select the desired tool, move the sheet to the location required and punch the tool through the material, cutting out the finished parts to the designed geometry. The turret press, with current tooling, is capable of punching aluminium and steel materials between 0.5 and 3.0mm.
The LCG Series CNC Laser Cutter is a fibre laser cutting machine using a powerful 6 kilo-watt laser to burn away material with assistance from a specialised high-pressure gas. The laser cutter uses the ‘melt and blow’ method where the laser is turning the material to molten metal and the assist gas is used at high-pressure to blow away the molten material leaving a clean cut line. The laser cutter is capable of cutting aluminium and steel materials between 0.1 and 25.0mm.
The laser cutter is also fitted with an LST Series Shuttle Table which is a second open sheet bed that can be loaded whilst the enclosed bed is in operation. The shuttle can then be automatically or manually interchanged to allow optimal machine efficiency and ease of material loading.
The HG Series Brake Press is a hydraulic brake press used for bending sheet metal components as required. The material is pressed between a suitable punch and die to bend the material to the angles and shapes as designed. The brake press has a 2.5m maximum bend length and, with current tooling, is capable of bending aluminium and steel materials between 0.5 and 4.0mm.
All these sheet metal fabrication machines have increased the company’s capabilities and allow PWR to stay ahead of the game in terms of sheet metal manufacturing and allows our products to compete on the world stage.