If you are planning to get a new sheet metal guillotine, there are a number of important factors you should consider. First, you must take note of the design of the guillotine, its guards and operating mechanism. Then you should decide on the maximum thickness and length of the sheet metal you want to cut. Choosing an appropriate metal guillotine will help you to obtain very accurate cuts and eventually save you money. In this article, we will be discussing the steps you should take to select the most suitable sheet metal guillotine for your metal workshop.
Select a Suitable Machine Design
There are two major types of guillotines in the market. The parallel guided design and the swing beam design. In the parallel guided design, the upper blade moves up and down in vertical guides throughout the cutting cycle. This makes it possible to have a very accurate cut devoid of any major component distortion. There are four blades in this type of guillotine and they are usually interchangeable. One major advantage of this design is the ability to change the rake angle and alter the gap in between the blades. This is vital when you need a more accurate cut on a thinner gauge of metal.
On the other hand, in the swing beam design, the upper blade is attached to a big heavy triangular section that is supported behind the side frames of the machine. However, the upper blade needs to twist to maintain the appropriate cutting angle because of the curved downward cutting motion. This twist or distortion does not allow you to exchange the upper and lower blades. So you have only two cutting edges and the rake angle remains fixed. But you can adjust the blade gap when necessary. For these reasons, we recommend the parallel guided design.
Check the Machine Guard
Virtually all the new guillotines have full machine guarding with a CE certification. So you can expect a front finger guard, light guards at the rear and high side fences. If you are planning to buy a used machine with full guarding, you will have to purchase a machine that was constructed after 1995.
Define the Maximum Length of Metal
It is also very important to know the longest length of material you will cut before you choose your guillotine. If you need to cut a maximum length of 3 metres, you should get a machine that can accommodate 3.5 metres of metal.
Choose the Maximum Sheet Thickness
A guillotine usually has a maximum metal thickness capacity quoted for it. This maximum thickness is usually based on mild steel that has a tensile strength of 40 to 45 kg/mm2. The quoted figure is based on the assumption of perfect working order and the correct setting of blade gap, rake angle and very sharp blade edges. After you have determined the maximum thickness of the metal you will be cutting, you should select the next larger model. For instance, if you will be cutting a maximum thickness of 7 mm, you should choose a machine with a maximum metal thickness of 9 mm.
Those are some of the important factors you need to consider when you are choosing a sheet metal guillotine. Review them again and book mark this page for future reference.
