Used Fabrication Equipment — What a Valuable Resource!
Wow, the title says it all in our “used fabrication equipment” section — we have nothing but home-run hitters. Big time production capabilities abound in this segment of used equipment that we have available to our customers. If the right job comes along and the right used sheet metal or other metalworking machine becomes available, beautiful music can be made. The interesting thing about this section is that just about all the metal fabrication tools in here are potential big producers, bound to boost production at a fraction of the cost of new machines. Whenever we visit a state-of-the-art fabrication house, we often muse to ourselves: "How did the folks in this industry get by a hundred years ago?" Without a powered sheet metal bender or many of the metal bending tools we enjoy today, life in the 1800s fabrication business must have been a bit difficult. (Not even a fork lift, for crying out loud!) Many of the early pioneers of the modern-day fabrication industry back in the day probably looked more like a black smith shop than a fabrication company. Not much in the way of sheet metal tools back then — but if you think about it, sheet metal had not even been invented yet!
What if an Order Comes in, and You Have No Machine to Do the Job?
This is the point where pure luck combines with exact timing and you happen upon the right used fabrication machine right where it needs to be — at Bud's Machine Tools, of course! With all the machines there are in the fabrication universe to choose from, there is a better than 50% chance we could hook you up with what you needed to get your production done, either from our own inventory or quickly shipped over from one of our partners in used machinery.
You Got a New Customer, He Gave You a Big Order, Now What?
Now you really have to make a decision, you got this new customer that laid a really big order on you and now you have to look into your crystal ball for what to do about the future. Okay, you’re going to have to invest in equipment to produce the order you already have in hand, right? What if this is the only order you get from this customer, what if you buy a whole coil line and your new customer goes away? Here is always a last resort you can consider: if you brought your equipment from Bud's Machine Tools, then you always have the option of trading that same equipment back to us for something else you can use. Let’s say you invested in an uncoiling machine, a straightener and a high speed press, only to realize you could use something else on your floor instead. Well, come on back and we’ll do what’s necessary to put a smile on your face. We could turn that coil line back into something like a nice used punch press, say a, turret or a flange press, or web punch. Nothing is impossible in a company where we know that customer service means customer satisfaction. Another plate processing machine type prowls this very category. The "E.D.M." (Electrical Discharge Machine) is a member of the group of machines in the category. EDMs have been developed and refined into what could be as small as a 2-foot by 2-foot square operating area. So now you got this little machine that takes up almost no floor space that can cut through just about any metal up to 3-4 inches thick. Don’t need an EDM machine? How about a notcher? (Now we are really talking old school.) Position your piece under the ram, hit the foot petal, and boom, just that quick you just notched a piece of angle iron, H-beam, or even a tube with the right setup.
How Does One Take Advantage of All the Good Things That Are Available?
Bud's Machine Tools has the used equipment, and the industry knowledge, and the experience to bring the correct solutions to any production need you may have. With years under our belt of providing machinery solutions to both the fabrication and chip machine industries, we can do what it takes to solve your production requirements. If your budget allows, Bud's can provide you with a new machine solution to your production needs. If a used machine makes more sense, we can usually offer numerous options at the time of need. If we don’t have the perfect machine for your application on hand, we will utilize our extensive network of used machinery suppliers that we have cultivated relationships with in order to get you the best deal possible. Bud's Machine Tools — Putting the customer first, each and every time.
Be a Notch Above the Competition with Used Notchers
Notching can be a low-cost process thanks to the availability of standard used notchers from authorized dealers who are experienced in selling used machines. The style of notcher machine you choose will be determined by the shape and the selection of tasks you are going to perform. Appropriate notchers are available for every metal notching project that you may want to undertake. Bud's Machine Tools specializes in selling used metal fabrication equipment that can do the job in a better and a faster way. If you are looking for a good, second-hand notcher, please take a look at what we have listed on this page and contact us for a price quote or further information.
Just in the Nick of Time, a Used Notcher Could Be Just the Thing
In the annals of fabrication machinery history, notchers will probably not qualify for very many pages. Picture this: you’re a relatively small notching machine, sitting on this fabrication production company's floor. Right across the aisle from you sits a 5-axis fiber laser with load and unload capacity, a big machine that seems to stretch on down the way almost forever. You say to yourself, "What the hell did I do wrong to be stuck with my miserable existence? My mother was a planer mill and my dad was an oilfield lathe, how is it I get stuck with being only a simple notcher?" Oh, but simple notcher, be ye not so despondent after all — you saved the free world, didn’t you? "Huh? What do you mean?" Well, wasn’t it notching machines in World War II that helped produce the Garand M1 rifle? "Why yes, yes I believe it was." Wasn’t that rifle called "the greatest implement of the free world" by none other than General George S. Patton? Enough said. While notchers don’t hold much esteem, shall we say, in the metalworking world, they do indeed have their place. You could have the most complicated piece ever devised by mankind and if it has a notch in it, the absolute best way to administer that notch is with a notcher, plain and simple. Used to be, back in the old days, the notch was “V” shaped and would have various uses for that shape. Nowadays a notch can be basically any shape you could imagine that you can make a punch into. There are numerous companies in the U.S. that are in the business of making standard punches as well as punches to meet customer specifications. A notch as defined by Webster is a “v” shaped punch out of the metal, but also includes a punching action to make a raised knob at certain points along a line. Some common modern day shapes that can be notched include: half circle, half square, half rectangle, half triangle and so it goes, ad infinitum.
What Does a Used Notcher Do? How Will It Improve My Production?
Notching is a metal cutting process that is performed on thin bar stocks or sheets of metal. Notching is a punching or shearing operation that is used in a press to slice a piece of metal perpendicularly to the surface, or in a vertical manner. Notching can also involve the bending of a corner of sheet metal or the joining of two tubes to fit them tightly to each other. A common necessity for light metal fabrication is the application of the notched corner. Notching is useful during the construction of boxes and folded trays. Notching involves taking away metal from the edges and corners of sheet metal blanks during the creation of the required product. A lot of concentration is given to the small details during notching because the finished product is supposed to have a neat appearance without any overlaps, gaps, or bulges that can result from bad notching. The quality and accurateness of punch notching is usually excellent, although it depends on the care in which it is performed. When doing folding work manually, prior notching is done to improve the accuracy of the folding process. The rate of notching is determined by the manual handling of the workpieces when loading them to the press. Commercial notchers come in all sizes, from a single punch device to multiple punches with as many as six heads (or even more). Typically hydraulically powered using a single hit cutting punch, there are also some very small capacity machines out there run via electric motor powering a grinding or milling bit. A classic example of a notching machine is in an 8-foot-long configuration with movable punching heads that can be positioned to punch as many as 6 cut-outs at a time. Hardness of the material being notched is not considered crucial, as for some reason, possibly the minimal material being removed, notching takes place on any metal right up to aerospace materials. So, let’s take the notcher described above — you are in the bed frame manufacturing business and need to work the side and end rails for your frame set. If you had a multiple-head notcher, you just slide the production piece right up to a dead stop set on the machine and hit the pedal. You hear a muffled bang and all six notches get punched at the same time. Sweet! Sounds like profit hitting the till. All of the above is a description of flat stock notching, but let’s not forget tube notching, as that’s almost as prevalent. One of the most frequent tube notching operations is known as a “coping” notch so two tubes can be welded together. Any metal that is workable can be notched. Notching is effective with metals that are sometimes hard to drill, such as titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum alloys. Assortments of multipurpose notching machines are available to those who prefer buying used machines. You can decide to purchase a variable angle notcher or a fixed angle notcher.
A Niche for Used Notchers
At Bud's Machine Tools, used notchers come in and they go out with regularity. At any given time, we could have as many as 8 or 10 used notchers in stock, but as with the rest of our used inventory, it’s best to call us to insure availability of a specific machine you might see on our website. Used notchers can be found in both hydraulic or electric powered models, but manual devices exist to be able to do hand powered notching. Here at Bud's Machine Tools we have had them all, powered and not, so hopefully by now you know who to call: Bud's of course!
Make the Cut with Our Used Cutting Equipment
An Electrical Discharge Machine or EDM uses an electrically charged wire to cut through metal. This type of fabrication equipment is best suited for cutting hard metals or cutting parts that would be difficult with other fabrication methods. EDM machines remove excess metal efficiently with heat, so there is no thermal damage to the metal. Buying a used EDM can save you money — it's a smart investment.
Cutting Is the Name of the Game — and Boy It Sure Happens Here
We are tempted to subtitle this category “plate cutting,” because a lot of that goes on in this section. But we have to keep the definition somewhat wide so we can be flexible on what we include in here. So what used cutting equipment can be found here? Well, you could easily stumble across a water jet machine here every now and then. Lasers and plasma cutters technically belong in this section, but we have separate categories dedicated to them that show up whenever we have some in stock. You might find an EDM machine just waiting to start cutting. In fact, we usually have numerous EDM machines that come into stock as companies step up to newer technology. Prior to EDM, what kind of specific capabilities were out there? Not counting a milling machine — which doesn’t really process plate anyway — you could only cut in a straight line. Okay, so you cut horizontally and then vertically (or vise-versa) and you end up with a rough-cut piece part. Along comes plate processing machines of all varieties. These plate machines could cut out any “cookie-cutter” shape piece from some pretty hard metals with about a 30-minute programming time. One of the very first entries into the marketplace were EDM machines. For those of you who do not recognize the term, it stands for electric discharge machining. What does that mean? You take an electrode and you fill a tub with a certain kind of cutting oil (dielectric) and add a spark. What the machine does is actually erode the metal away by the electrical current between the electrode and the piece part. Granted that is a description of the process in its most basic form. Depending on the EDM’s CNC controller, the machine can make anything from simple shapes to some of the most complex shapes and it can achieve this while cutting the entire piece part out without re-positioning or running another operation.
Why Should I Be Interested in an EDM Machine?
Or any other type of plate processing machine of any technology? Well folks, it’s trickle down in a way. We use that term to describe how companies who brought earlier versions of different plate processing technology like EDMs have minute programming time. Traded them in for, shall we say, “enhanced” state-of-the-art current technologies. So you get that “trickle down” situation that puts far and away better technology within the grasp of more companies than they had before. The level of capabilities may not be current state-of-the-art, but imagine a company being able to buy a used EDM machine and suddenly has a machine that can cut a complete part without re-fixturing. For some companies this is a giant leap forward in capability, which will allow for better processing of existing orders and maybe a shot at some new business. EDM machines have, as have other machine tools, gone through a learning curve when it comes to what people call it. It’s been called wire machines, die sinker machines, sinker machines and quite a few more we won’t take time to list here. Some of the commonly used terms are actually specialized types of EDM machines like “die sinker.” That particular definition is for an EDM machine that is suited for making holes and cavities. Another interesting aspect of these machines is you can get a small one if your work is not that large. These smaller plate processing machines have allowed smaller companies to partake in more advanced technology as these prices for used EDM’s are quite attractive. Check out Bud's Machine Tools for the low down on our latest inventory of EDMs and other pieces of used cutting equipment.
We Have the Best in Used Coil Equipment
When you purchase used coil equipment, the variety and specifications of available machines usually involves considerable complexity. You should seek well-maintained items which possess the necessary safety features to ensure a controlled coiling or uncoiling speed that protects workers from recoiling metal during the fabrication process. These types of machines can assist companies in handling sheet metal and wire more easily, improving production speed and costs. At Bud's Machine Tools, we have extensive experience dealing with this type of metal fabrication equipment. We will gladly help you match your company's needs to specific items we carry in our inventory. The sizes and specifications of our inventory vary with availability. Our main focus involves supplying this equipment to producers who fabricate with sheet metal. Here you'll find makes and models of these used machines equipped to handle a wide range of job sizes. We currently carry used wrap brake and plasma coil feed equipment. We also have uncoilers suitable for HVAC and duct work in inventory. It remains important to select used machinery capable of filling specific industry applications. We value customer service, and we seek to assist customers in obtaining the right product to meet their needs. Call us today for a price quote or additional information.
Where Is Coil Equipment Used?
Today the wide variety of used coil equipment (coilers, decoilers, uncoilers, recoilers) assists manufacturing and fabrication plants. Automobile manufacturers, electrical component producers, HVAC parts factories, metals fabrication companies and others employ these machines extensively. A typical coiler will wrap rolls of sheet metal or metal wire for transport purposes. Later, plants use decoilers to unwrap the material into a metals press or other piece of manufacturing equipment at a constant, steady rate. This used coil equipment assists the production process by enabling more economical transportation and by insuring the safety of workers during production.
What Do They Make Out of Sheet Metal Coils Anyway?
In the annals of history there probably will never be a more utilized base material than sheet metal. Everything from your bread toaster to your SUV sitting in the driveway, came from one of those big coils of metal you see on the flatbed semi-trailers. One of our salesmen shared this story: "I used to wonder how long one of those coils can be. One day I’m in a steel service center and saw a couple coils sitting on the floor nearby. As my contact returned to his office I asked him, 'Hey Robert, how long is that coil?' "Robert, replied, 'The coil is not sold by length, but rather by weight.' "So Robert and I got up from the table and went outside to check out the tag on that roll of steel. Among other things, such as the steel designation of A.I.S.I. 1011, the weight was noted as 18,875 pounds! That’s just a whisper under 10 tons! "As Robert and I are standing alongside this massive roll of low carbon steel I remarked, 'Man, that is one manly-sized roll of steel!' To which Robert replied, 'They run a job in another department that takes the maximum sized roll of' — hold on to your seats — 'a whopping 40,000 pounds!' "Man, now I’m intrigued. I ask Robert, 'Can we go take a look-see at what must be a massive steel coil?' As we get into the area, from way off, I can see one of these monstrous steel coils getting ready to be mounted on the back side of a coil line. When we get up close I can see why the coil looked so big from far away — because it was! This coil was 6 foot across and 10 gauge thick. I believe Robert said it was for seat frames for the U.S. Army Hummer. At 40,000 pounds, you can only get one coil on the back of a semi-truck flatbed trailer."
In a Coil Line, Where Does It All Start?
At the uncoiler or decoiler of course. Of all the equipment needed to set up a coil line, it all starts with an uncoiler. You don’t have one of these? Your coil is laying on the floor with no way to feed into the line. That means all your equipment down-line is doing nothing, because you've got no uncoiler! So the feeder isn’t running, the straightener isn’t running, the beader, notcher and shear aren’t running. Wow, you are going nowhere quick. What you need to do is get on the website of Bud's Machine Tools and see what we have in stock (hey, you're already here!). At any given time, we could have a used uncoiler (or any of the machines listed above) on our display floor, and when we don't, we know the sources to turn to get you new or used coil equipment in a hurry. So, here’s how this works: you see a piece of equipment we have in stock and call us up to confirm. We confirm the equipment is available and a deal is struck. You send a truck over to pick up said uncoiler or we provide transportation to your dock. Once the device arrives, we can come in at your request and set up your new uncoiler machine for you. If you like, we can also provide training to all shifts and stay onsite until all operators are comfortable running the new equipment. Bud's Machine Tools believes that good customer service leads to happy (and repeat) customers, and we take that philosophy very seriously and do our level best to satisfy our customers each and every time they call.
