STUD PUNCH
KNOCKOUT PUNCH FOR STEEL METAL FRAMING
PROBLEM
The manufacturing client came to CMF with a desire for improved efficiency on their stud and c- track roller machine. The area they noticed significant downtime was during the procedure of punching knockouts. Knockouts are designed to allow a passageway for electrical wiring, HVAC, plumbing, and other utilities in metal stud framing. Considering the punch is a 1 1⁄2” diameter circle, it was taking them up to 15 punches to make a standard 1 1⁄2” X 4” knockout. With a limitation in programming of 23 holes per stud, they are only able to get one knockout per stud.
SOLUTIONS
We reverse engineered the punch attachment and designed an alternative that can create a knockout in a single punch with the hydraulic ram. The punch was designed using existing bolted connections, allowing a seamless install. With a series of prototyping, determining suitable materials, and calculating die clearance based on the material thickness, the final product was presented.
RESULTS
With the new punch incorporated, it now only takes on average 1.4 seconds versus 1.2 minutes per punch. With only 1 operation per punch, we can now punch up to 23 punches per stud. With this major advancement, it reduced punch time by 98% and increased the overall throughput rate of the machine by 50%.
