Heavy duty tools and applications - special thing when customer should be informed about. And we will try to explain to you - why and when.
Let's speak about standard Promecam press brake tools. The standard max. tonnage for these type of tools is 100 t/m maximum. And this doesn't because of the tool geometry and material. This is because intermediate has only 13 mm width for the main part so this width is completely not enough for high tonnage. So if you have even 220 tons 3 meters press brake it doesn't mean that you can use these 220 tons for small length of heavy and thick material. You have a force distribution to the length but you are quite limited for the pointed force applications. Everything more than 8-10 mm requires higher tonnage and the question what is possible to do with standard clamping system is still open.
Heavy duty tools and heavy duty clamping system - the system to achieve high tonnage applications to bend thick material. Heavy duty is standard system to install on high tonnage long presses or tandems but even for press brake till 300-400 tons the question how to work with heavy duty could be risen.
Construction of heavy duty tangs is different but normally has 30-40 mm of width to have the best strength of the clamping system against high pressing force and stress. For standard Promecam tooling system it is impossible to change the full clamp but the use of heavy duty intermediates with middle part with higher width can raise the possibility to work with high tonnage.
There is one more difference between Promecam and, for example Trumpf-Wila system - the active force distribution at the part of the clamp. The construction of Promecam allows only lateral force from the side of clamping tang where in Trumpf-Wila both sides from tang should be active. In practice it means that Trumpf-Wila could be used for, for example, 160 t/m without any modification of clamp. For sure the question to think about high tonnage applications should be presented at the begin of purchasing of the press brake. But many companies come to thick material later and ask how it could be realized with existing press brake with minimum additional investments.
If the problem of high tonnage is very complicated, probably it is possible yo reduce the tonnage with bigger opening of bending die. Everything together with straight part requirements and min. radius will be bigger but if it could work and fits the technical possibilities of your press brake why not to try. Moreover for upper clamps and any modifications the beam construction of the press brake is very important when everybody has at minimum 90 mm width of lower table to install even big opening of bending dies.
At final, heavy duty press brake tools could be solid investment because every time they are special with construction and application. And the customer really needs to understand about the needs. There are no more ways and not the subject for economy if you purchase new 1,5 million of euro tandem press brake with total 12 meters. But if you have couple of parts for thick material at single order you should think twice to study any tooling for it.