How much could this CNC punch press weigh (Wiedematic W-2040)

Oh and, I am sorry, I forgot to ask, what sorts of things can be taken out of it prior to scrapping.

i

No guess as to the weight, except "lots".

Hmm ... first off, I would save all the punch/die sets in the turret (and the one probably in the working station). Try to keep each punch and die together -- they will presumably be more valuable that way than as a box of mixed punches and dies. Presumably there will be various useful shapes -- round, square, keyed, round with a key notch for switches and the like, D shaped for fuse holders and the like.

Any idea how thick a metal it will work with?

Perhaps the servo motors (and servo amps) which run the turret and which position the workpiece as well. And there are likely linear encoders along the table as well. Look up the instructions on the encoder maker's site, so you know how to remove them while preserving the functionality. (You may have to make brackets to tie the head to the scale body to keep it from being damaged in shipping.

It would be interesting to know what computer is used in this old a machine. Probably not much value in it -- except to someone wanting to keep another of these working. Same with the other circuit boards. You've probably got no way of testing them, other than to try to make the whole thing work again. Is is supposedly working, or not specified?

Is what looks like another smaller punch press in the background part of this purchase? Or is it perhaps a spot welder to use in the next stage of this operation?

It looks as though there is a punched tape reader behind the window in the right-hand side of the near cabinet. Not much use these days, except to a collector I suspect.

Good Luck, DoN.

If, hypothetically, I had a steel company, I could convert this punch to EMC and this punch press would be enormously useful!

Ignoramus9564 fired this volley in news:deWdnco3Pogfc07SnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

I don't remember. It was 1985.

They did, indeed. In fact, we needed some small custom cases for a hard drive host adaptor we'd designed. They just "added them in" to an existing job they already were running on the same gauge aluminum.

LLoyd

I received many custom enclosures from a company that employed cnc plasma cutters. I'd give them the style (NEMA 4X, whatever) and send them a drawing, they'd send the quote, then cut, spindle, fold, and mutilate me a box in a couple weeks with all cutouts for AB switches, lights, whatever, backpanels. Beat the hell out of having an electrician at our maintenance rates punching holes, especially in stainless. CNC plasma may be what replaced these machines.

Pete Keillor

I am guessing that a CNC plasma has lower setup cost, but higher per-piece cost. Whereas a puhcn has a high set up cost (have to buy or make those dies) but a lot lower per piece cost.

i

Ignoramus9564 fired this volley in news:V8WdnblyV_jNZk7SnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Keep in mind that the Weidos were also capable of something NO cutting technology can match -- they could do limited "horn" work.

A horn die is one around which metal is drawn into a 3D shape -- cups, pans, complex shapes. It may also be punched while on the horn. That capability is unique to presses.

In the case of the Weidamatics, they could die-form the shapes, and all BUT cut them free from the sheet, leaving "holding tabs".

LLoyd

Cool! All my needs were just enclosures for various r&d rigs, so never needed that kind of capability. The more fun stuff was usually handled in the r&d machine shops. The enclosure outfit I used was Saginaw Control and Engineering, just down the road from where I worked.

Pete Keillor

Good point, esp. for ventilation slots, and such.

i

I bought some steel chickens last winter at a gun show. These were only good for .22RF but at $5.00 each I bought five. The gentleman that was selling them had a metal shop, when he lasered material for customers, he dropped in the target and the foot for it in the wasted areas so the price of materials = whatever the scrap iron people paid for scrap.

Wes

But you would have to consider the shape of the punches and I assume the orientation. I'm assuming most cnc punch presses can orient the punch. I know our ancient Amada can.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

Neither of the 2 old CNC punch presses where I work can rotate the punches. Our brand new Amada can rotate some of the dies only. I think it is one of those options you have to pay for, so if the company that is ordering the press is to tight with their money or doesn't plan for the future ...

First, have you checked out finding it a home for far more than just the scrap value? You can sell it off to a shop that has one working and can use the spare parts and the extra punch sets.

And is it a good candidate for updating the controller from Punch-tape to CNC? If so, and it's all there, it might be worth far more than you think.

They were machined as a mated set, so they really should stay together. Otherwise the tolerances are a mis-match, and CRUNCH! There goes the dies and the part you were making.

Keep all the bits like the paper tape reader, toss 'em up online and see if they sell. You Never Know...

There are still shops out there punching out small car and truck chromed trim pieces with louvers, switch panels, and other things where you just load the machine and let it run on it's own. Then they just clean up the edges and dump ''em in the Vibratory Polisher, and send them out for a dip in the Shiny Stuff.

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I placed an ad in my local Craigslist and so far, no interest. I am asking a bargain basement price of $3,500.

I am trying to be practical here. I upgraded by Bridgeport Interact to EMC2. That works great and I, the intended user, am delighted by being able to use XEmacs on my CNC control, have recursive G code functions, flexibility, etc. It works great for ME.

I think that a steel fab shop would not be as excited about those features, they would want something familiar, with a tech company representative locally and with a control they know.

Plus, I am afraid, technology moved on since 1975 and newere punch presses may have features that this older one cannot have.

Yep, definitely.

Yes, I agree.

And, perhaps, there are adapters that print punched tape from modern CNC design programs.

i

punch press.

I have the same machine with a W3 controller. Very usefull, would you be intersested in selling parts off it? Espically if the scarp value is very low.