For parts manufacturing... a fourslide or a punch press? Tooling a fourslide, 3 With multiple-block tools on the fourslide, multi-level forming operations make a complicated piece without slowing down production. Tool design is simpler, easier to make leside dio. a "Yea dio, hoes 1. Cost studies favor foursides for ‘making this steel (1010) hose clamp ‘The fourslide has far more poten- tial as a cost-saver than has been indicated 40 far in this series of articles, Most people dan’t set up more than single-level operations with a combination of one or more of the four forming slides But this same machine ean create its output substantially with multiples of four operations in. the forming section. Thus stampings requiring four, eight, or twelve forming steps can be produced at no more cost than if the operation were limited to four forming steps, ‘The trick here is to partially form the stamped part at one level, then strip it down to a lower level, where final forming ig done with additional tools. This ual-level tooling is known as ‘multiple-block’ tool design, Stacked tool blocks on forming slide, No. 2, for example, are fas- tened together, and move together, ‘The top tool performs part of the Initial forming sequence, whereas By CJ Labonack President 2. Most of these formed parts : lost af these form: were produced on fourslides by shops that have these Piaza Tool & Die Corp ‘machines a weil 2s punch presses. Fourslides, because they have a press head. Long Island City, NY can have a press attachment, can often complete a complex part in one setup