Many businesses and production facilities use tools and machines to efficiently automate their manufacturing processes. In the technical sense, this equipment can process different materials such as metal, plastic, or composite in large volumes and in a short period of time. In the past, it is likely that the manufacturing processes were done manually but with the advent of new and improved technologies, there are different tools made available to commercial entities that allow them to save time, effort, and manpower. Here are some of the most common tools used for the production process.
1. Lid press machine
This tool uses pneumatic technology in sealing lips that easily snap on tubs or buckets. It utilizes a mechanism that makes sure every item that passes through it is sealed properly. Technically, there are set standards that should be met and checked when an item passes through this equipment. Depending on the standards, any item that doesn’t qualify is immediately discarded. This is important to make sure that everything that has been quality checked won’t leak when it leaves the production line.
Lid Press Machines can be adjustable to meet virtually almost any size and shape of tubs or buckets. It can be connected to a conveyor belt to fully automate the process of sealing any item.
2. Blanking tool
This tool involves a process of cutting out a single shape from a sheet of material, typically metal. Oftentimes, the part where the cut out is obtained is simply discarded unless it still has several areas where the blanking tool can be used.
3. Parting tool
This is another tool that involves the cutting process but this one can be used to cut out almost any geometric shape. The blanking tool is often limited to common geometric shapes such as circle, square, rectangle, or triangle. If the process requires more complex geometric shapes, a parting tool is required.
Most of the time, the parting tool is chosen over the blanking tool due to its flexibility. However, if the shape is defined, it is faster to process a material using the blanking tool. The other advantage of the parting tool is that it leaves little to no discarded waste at all because cutouts can be created as close to each other as possible.
4. Combination tool
There are tools that allow the execution of multiple functionalities and these are called combination tools. For instance, if an equipment can do both cutting and bending, it falls under the category of combination tool. Due to its versatility, a combination tool is usually more expensive than single-use tools. Other combination tools include functions such as punching, blanking, forming, or trimming.