Honest quotation for these dies please.

[Noel.C]

To Spluppit - I plan to make 800 initially
I am interested only in single stage


To m_c - I am contacting a number of
different lazer cutting services at the moment,
being a bank holiday I dont expect much of a
response untill later in the week. Trying to find
one that can obtain small quantitys of tool steel
as my local chap cannot.

[spluppit]

Thanks for the reply Noel,

Not realising there are other threads regarding this tooling and after taking a read. This is my conclusion, I will be very blunt here so its not meant in an offensive way.

First and foremost cost it does seem you want this done at pretty much no cost, if you think a second hand fly press is expensive then you dont want want prices for tooling.

You are talking several thousands to make tooling like this. yes its pretty simple and hardly complex, but the guys working on tooling have some very expensive equipment to upkeep and that had to be bought, so you are not gonna get any tooling for a few hundred quid the raw materials for the blanking tool will exceed that alone! Not to mention a die set.

You can totally forget using laser cutters to make dies, total waste of money, very simply is nowhere near accurate enough or good enough finish. Seriously, throw that though out of your brain right now before you are tempted, as i will say told ya so!

Presses: the only press that would be any good as mention, is a fly press and then is will have to be an accurate one, if out of square or badly worn you will constantly edging the dye which will means constant regrinding. Note use of the word grinding here, tooling is made with the grinding process being very predominant. Forget any other weird form of press, home made or etc It will not work it will not be square enough, even in a die set.

The quantity you want is not enough to justify the tooling cost. Tooling is generally made to produce tens of thousands of parts to millions. This is the only way it becomes cost effective unless its a niche with a high cost per part.


I suggest this you look at getting the blanks 'water jet cut' not laser. Laser will give an awful molten finish on the edges. Most laser cutters will not touch ally for his reason. Look at getting the form tool made to produce the angle you want. This is the only cheap solution you have in my view that will work and give you consistency. Even so that tool alone wont be cheap. If there is not a lot of accuracy involved with that form look at a small bench bender, something from http://www.stakesys.co.uk/ or some similar place.


Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but tooling is not cheap and learning the trade takes many years and it costs.



Kind regards,


Scott

[Noel.C]

Thats ok thanks, im not too upset, I'll just revert to the original plan
although it would have been a whole lot more fun making them
myself.

Cheers
Noel

[spluppit]

Hi Noel,

What was the original plan?

[Noel.C]

just get the scales lazer cut, I was quoted I think £260 for 800 of them, then
file and polish them, and apply the sound dampening material each one will need.
I'll bend them in my local fabricators place, he lets me use his huge press as he is
always out on jobs.