Extended Feature List
The following partial feature list is intended to provide a more thorough look
at the capabilities of SS-Punch. Although comprehensive, it should not be
considered all inclusive.
Please contact Striker Systems with
specific SS-Punch feature questions.
Advanced CAD Features
– Unlike many punching solutions that offer rudimentary design capability,
SS-Punch provides a powerful CAD solution. SS-Design is bundled with every
SS-Punch purchase, so the features of
SS-Design should also be considered when comparing product features.
PARTshare
– The precision sheet metal industry has rapidly embraced solid modeling
technology. SS-Punch takes full advantage of this technology by including the
PARTshare module with every SS-Punch purchase.
Automatic Punching
– Simply select the desired part(s) to be processed and SS-Punch applies tool
hits based on a user defined set of rules.
Pattern Recognition
– Geometric patterns can be interactively tooled as desired and then saved in a
“pattern library”. If that geometric pattern is encountered in any future
punching operation, it will be processed with the predefined tooling. This
allows SS-Punch to adapt to your unique punching requirements.
Interactive Punching
– SS-Punch includes an entire set of commands for interactive insertion and
positioning of single tool hits or cycles. Once placed, tool hits can also be
moved, copied, rotated, etc, as desired.
Comprehensive Tool Definition
– When a new tool is created with SS-Punch, the definition includes all of the
information necessary to provide the greatest control over tool use. This
includes a “Usage” option allowing tool use to be limited to specific
circumstances, a “Sequence Priority” providing absolute control over tool
sequence, a “Special Codes” feature allowing tool specific output in the NC
program (such as a dwell on a forming tool), and a “Preferred Station” setting
controlling the turret station that a tool will be loaded in during automatic
tool selection.
Rolling Tool Support
– SS-Punch offers optional support of rolling tool technology such as the
Wilson Wheel® line of rolling tools.
Micro-Joint (Tab) Placement
– SS-Punch includes full support of micro-joint placement and editing,
including support for special tools such as trapezoid and bowtie tools.
Drop Door Support
– Parts can be automatically dropped or interactively assigned a drop door
definition. In an automatic mode a drop door definition can be assigned to a
part based on part size. This definition includes the push out distance,
therefore insuring proper part ejection.
Automated Part Removal
– SS-Punch offers optional support of advanced part removal systems such as the
TRUMPF® TRUMALIFT, Murata® Machinery FG, and Amada® ULX systems.
Automatic Tool Sequence
– Tool selection can be automatically sequenced based on a variety of criteria
including tool type, assigned tool priority, tool size, etc. For environments
with a standard tool load, the turret stations can also be placed in the
desired sequence.
Interactive Tool Sequence
- SS-Punch also offers a number of interactive tool sequence utilities,
including the ability to interactively order from a list of in-use tools.
Subsets of tool hits can also be selected to define a new tool sequence.
Advanced Turret Interface
– The turret configuration is accessed through a user-friendly dialog system.
Tools can be loaded or unloaded with drag-and-drop simplicity. Tools and
stations are color coded for enhanced visualization. Tool tips can be
optionally enabled to provide detailed tool and station information as the
cursor is positioned over dialog entries.
Adaptable Turret Configuration
– Many organizations operate with a standard tool setup, rarely if ever
changing tools. Others change tools with every job. Most fall somewhere in
between. When performing automatic punching operations, SS-Punch can be
configured to limit its tool selection only to the tools in the active turret.
It can also be configured to allow unlimited tool selection from the tool crib.
Most SS-Punch customers operate with a partial restriction on tool loading.
They “lock” a subset of their turret stations, disabling the automatic tool
load of these stations. Other stations are left “unlocked”, allowing the
automatic tooling process to select and load tools as necessary. This
flexibility allows SS-Punch to adapt to your specific production requirements.
Multiple Turret Support
– SS-Punch allows an unlimited number of turret configurations to be
established with a user specified name. This allows specific tool loads to be
saved for specific customer or job requirements.
Die Clearance Support
– Support for die clearances can be turned on or off. With die clearance
support enabled, a die with clearance for the current material must be
available for each tool used.
Station Size Adaptor Support
– Station size adaptors can be created to allow tools to be loaded into larger
station sizes.
Tool Load Optimization
– SS-Punch can automatically adjust the tool load to minimize turret rotation;
thereby decreasing machine run time.
Cross Posting
– If it becomes necessary to take part(s) that were tooled for one CNC machine
and output an NC program for a different CNC machine with a different turret
configuration, the SS-Punch cross posting feature can be used to map the tooled
part(s) to the new turret.
Auto Sheet Trim
– Automatically trims the desired edge(s) of a sheet by a specified distance.
Useful for specific applications requiring sheet squaring.
Automatically Grid Parts
– Quickly grid parts based on quantity requirements or sheet size. Output NC
program as individual parts or a part macro.
Automatic Perforation
– Create perforated patterns from any closed boundary. Supports individual tool
hits or cluster tools.
Reposition Support (Automatic)
– Activate automatic reposition control and sheet repositioning automatically
occurs whenever tool processing extends beyond the punching limits or when an
avoidance move is required to clear a clamp dead-zone. SS-Punch’s repositioning
offers numerous features such as repositioning left to right or right to left,
and the option to hold as many tool hits as possible to the last positions.
Reposition Support (Interactive)
– During interactive repositioning, the table is placed into a “drag and drop”
mode and can be visually positioned at the desired location. Once a reposition
has been defined, the processing of tool hits can be easily moved from one
position to another if desired.
Work Clamp Placement (Automatic)
– If automatic work clamp placement is turned on, SS-Punch will position the
work clamps at the most optimal location (based on user definition) to minimize
the number of repositions required.
Work Clamp Placement (Interactive)
– One of the nice features about operating in a truly integrated CAD/CAM
environment is the flexibility to manipulate objects. To interactively position
a clamp, simple use the Move command and drag it to the desired location. It
will automatically lock in to a user-defined increment position.
Programmable Work Clamp Support
– If your punch machine offers programmable work clamps, they are fully
supported and optimized for the fewest moves.
Flip / Rotate Sheet
– If you’re running an oversized sheet with tool hits outside of your punching
limits in the Y axis, SS-Punch will automatically detect the hits and offer the
options of either flipping or rotating the sheet as necessary. A description of
the operation is also output as a comment in the NC program to provide guidance
to the punch machine operator.
Tool-Path Optimization (Automatic)
– SS-Punch provides automatic tool-path optimization to minimize CNC machine
run-time. The optimized tool-path is controlled by a pre-defined set of user
rules.
Tool-Path Optimization (Interactive)
– Creating the perfect tool-path for a CNC punch is occasionally a challenge,
particularly with tooling considerations such as forming tools. SS-Punch
includes a comprehensive set of utilities that allow you to define your desired
tool-path. Optimization can be as basic as picking the tool hits in the order
that you would like them processed, with the ability to throw in no-punch moves
to drive the punch machine to locations where no tool hits exist.
Spiral Optimization
– When processing a large number of tool hits in a grid or perforated pattern,
it is possible that the sheet will begin to curl or bow. To overcome this
condition, SS-Punch includes a spiral optimization technique that begins with a
user-selected tool hit and spirals the tool-path out to the edges.
Tool-Path Simulation
– The tool-path can be reviewed at any time with SS-Punch’s tool-path
simulation. Tool hits can be stepped through one at a time, by tool sequence,
or full simulation.
Setup Sheet Creation
– At the time the NC program is created, SS-Punch automatically creates a
report with the desired information for punch machine setup. A report template
is provided to adjust that output to your organization.
DNC Communications
– SS-Punch includes DNC communications to handle basic requirements. For more
sophisticated DNC implementations Striker Systems offers
SS-DNC, a comprehensive NC program transfer system.
Reverse Engineering (Back plotting)
– SS-RevEng can be added to SS-Punch to facilitate reverse engineering needs.
Existing NC programs can be read and recreated in the SS-Punch workspace.
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