When your fabrication shop bids on a job, the customer is looking for several key factors to determine whether or not your shop has what it takes to get the job done on time, and on budget. When they award the contract to your shop, the value provided will be a major part of that decision.

There’s no need to outsource to multiple vendors because the whole job is happening at your shop. You’re going to take their requirements they provide from engineering drawings and make something they can sell without them having to micro-manage the details. This will be extremely quick and easy for you if you have all the necessary machine tools to complete each part of the job.

Having the necessary types of machine tools at your fab shop is essential to winning these big jobs.

Here are the 6 types of machine tools that every fabrication shop needs for big jobs:

1. Hydraulic Press Brakes

   Hydraulic press brakes offer accuracy and versatility for bending simple or complex metal parts. KAAST press brakes have multiple axes and come in a wide range of lengths and tonnages.

   If you have a small shop and are looking to improve the efficiency of your bending processes while on a budget, the KAAST hydraulic press brake might just be what you are looking for. The fully welded all steel construction is designed for maximum rigidity and minimum deformation during the bending process. A heavy duty torque tube connects a pair of hydraulic cylinders so that they are synchronized and stay parallel to the bending table at all times.

   Watch video of the KAAST HPB Press Brake

2. Swing-beam Shears

   Shears are a cost-effective cutting solution because they are fast to set-up and easy-to-use. KAAST offers several types of shears with different metal cutting capabilities.

   A swing beam shear is a hydraulic machine. The upper beam hinges on a pivot point in the middle of the side frames. This is a heavy duty, robust machine designed for cutting thicker material. These can be found as manual, NC, or CNC machines. At KAAST, for example, we offer this machine in our HGS series with touchscreen. The HGS is available in cutting capacities of ¼” up to ¾” and in lengths of 10′ up to 13′. The KAAST HGS shear boasts the world’s heaviest and most robust swing beam shear construction.

   With technology advancing to the point in the metal fabrication industry that we now are cutting metal with plasma and lasers, many people have asked, “Is there still a need for a shear in our shop?” In most cases you will find the answer to be a resounding, “Yes.”

   A shear is a staple in many shops for their day-to-day business operations. A shear is a highly utilized and productive piece of equipment because of its ease of use, quick set up time and low operating cost. For example, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to use a plasma machine to cut 4″ off of a piece of ¼” material that is four feet wide when you can simply put it on a shear and within a couple minutes make the cut and be done.

   There a few different types of shears that are common and widely used in the industry: mechanical, swing beam and guillotine style.

3. Los cerrajeros

   A KAAST ironworker can be the “Swiss Army Knife” of your machine shop — with stations for punching, notching, shearing and more, this versatile piece of equipment should be indispensable in your metal fabrication operation. It saves labor, time, energy and cost.

   The heavy-duty Ironworker has 5 work stations that are fully integrated:

   Punch Work Table: Includes back gauge and adjustable stops. Adjustable See-Through Punch Stripper: For fast and easy setup. Die Holder: Adjustable in machined T-slots for quick punch and die alignment. Support Table: Includes guides for accurate positioning and indicator lines at 30 and 45 degrees left and right. Adjustable Hold-Down: Holds work piece securely in position when shearing. Upper Shear Blade: Provides for minimum distortion. Two (2) usable edges. Shearing with no material loss and minimum deformity. Shear Blades: Four (4) usable edges.

   Watch video of the KAAST PS 65 DP Ironworker

4. Plate Rolls

   Plate rolls are designed to quickly and efficiently transform flat sheet metal into cylindrical or radius parts. KAAST offers both mechanical and hydraulic plate rolls in a variety of roll diameters and lengths.

   Three-roll variable axis plate rolls are more precise, productive, safer and faster than any other 3-roll benders due to their user-friendly controls that make them less dependent on operator competence.

   They are suitable for medium and thick plate bending. Unlike the usual cylinder machines, the lower rolls move horizontally to right and left and the upper roll moves up and down. Similar to a 4-roll machine, the material loads parallel to the floor and not at an angle, like other three rolls.

   

   The side rolls approach the upper roll and the upper roll applies pressure to the plate from the top. This allows pre-bending both sides of the plate without removing it from the machine. The variable geometry 3-roll has a greater pre-bending capacity than other 3-roll bending machines.

   The gap on the side rolls are adjustable to maximum levels, allowing thick plates to bend to smaller diameters or wider angles. While most machines in the market can perform a conical bending to three times the top roll diameter, the KAAST RBD rolls can easily create a conical bending to 1.5 times the diameter.

5. Profile Rolls

   Bending metal tubes, pipes, channels or beams is fast and easy with a KAAST angle roll. We have the right machine for your structural steel fabrication application.

   The robust machine frame is constructed of rugged steel, machined after welding for rigidity, and all welds are stress relieved prior to machining. Precision bearings and large shaft diameters minimize deflection for precise bending.

   Machines are ensured a long life due to their strong frame and world-class hydraulic and electrical components, and short cycle times are achieved by high torque drive system and machine speed. Straight edge is minimized by close roll stance, powerful guide rolls and hydraulic adjustments. Flat spots are minimized due to closer roll stance. Low energy and maintenance costs by friction-free planetary swing guides.

   Watch video of the KAAST PBH 50 Profile Roll

6. Horizontal Band Saws

   KAAST Machine Tools offers an extensive portfolio of saws for a wide variety of machining applications. The saw portfolio covers everything from miter band saws to semi-automatic and fully automated band saws. High reliability and precision are integral to all our saws. Our fully automated band saws with bundle vises are ideal for cutting entire material packs to length. In addition to semi-automatic horizontal miter band saws, KAAST also offers fully automated miter band saws with programmable cutting angle and automatic workpiece feed.

   All KAAST saws fulfill European standards, undergo rigorous testing and bear the CE mark. Our machines are known for their simple user-friendly design to ensure ease of use as well as quick and easy care and maintenance.

   Designed with you in mind, this steel cutting machine is the best choice when it comes to price and quality. Our band saws are proven time and time again to be the best when you need an economic and reliable way to cut your toughest materials. These metal cutting machines are unbeatable in performance and accuracy. Our Automatic Band Saw allows you to cut in a bundle with great accuracy, and this saves you time, reduces material handling, and increases your production. They’re great for solid steel up to 12″ round.

   At a fraction of the cost from our competition, our band saws prove to be the best value for an automatic band saw out there. The frame is designed to give you better accuracy, and stability when you apply additional pressure on the down feed. This metal cutting band saw is powerful, ridged and extremely precise. The KAAST HBA horizontal band saw will be the most important machine in your shop.

Bidding on and winning a large fabrication job is a great reason to make sure your shop is properly supplied with the equipment you’ll need to complete everything in-house.

Buy the right fabrication equipment for your shop

At KAAST Machine Tools, we have everything you need in stock, right here in the USA. Call today for a consultation with one of our qualified fabrication experts: (01) 33 5004 0789.

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