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The Rapid Simple Shaping System
is comprised of 3 machines:
The traditional machines used for metalworking compound shapes in thin sheet (less than .090") are typical around the world. Electric hammers (Yoder, Whiting, Pettingell, Quickwork etc), electric reciprocating forming machines (Pullmax, Eckold, Erco, Trumpf), Wheeling machines, air planishing hammers (Chicago Pneumatic, Milwaukee, Seiden, Ram's Head) head the list of common machines.
While many machines will do many tasks, the problem of changing dies and settings consumes time, and then each machine has limitations. Therefore many of the old production shops had many Yoders, for instance, with each dedicated to one task with a particular set of dies, and the workmen would move parts to a certain machine for a certain operation.
The Wheel is advantageous for forming low crowns, forming to a polished condition, and forming thin large panels. It also planishes thinner sheet of softer sheet very well. The drawbacks are difficulties encountered when planishing on heavy sheet and small parts, rapid stretching, and shrinking.
The Yoder-type hammer shrinks well, planishes well, and forms medium and heavy sections well, but has limits on time to change dies, stability during forming, forming small parts, and doing thinner sheets.
The Air Planishing Hammers will planish (smoothing with light hammering) very nicely, but do not shape the metal with shrinking and flanging operations, and are limited with stretching. They do small parts well.
The Electric Recip. forming machines change dies quickly, are stabile, and they will shear, bead, nibble, and flange. Shrinking and stretching can be done, if proper dies are available. They like 3phase power, can be expensive to buy and maintain, can work harden the metal quickly and can leave tracks on the metal in some operations.
Kent has traveled to many shops over the past 25 years observing and using the many machines, and has therefore developed the Rapid Simple Shaping System by refining what the available machines would and would not do. His videos teach by demonstrating these machines in the System.
WHEELING MACHINE: Our frame is fabricated steel for ideal stiffness and uses different mechanical features which allow, for instance, one sculptor to do a 40ft. twisted winding shape, not possible on traditional machines. And thin polished large aircraft panels.
ELECTRIC RECIP MACHINE: Our dies are offered to extend the machines' capabilities by planishing, stretching and shrinking.
TM Technologies AIR POWER HAMMER: This is the most effective machine for the money on the market today. The tooling has been pioneered by Kent to form thin sheet by stretching, shrinking, flanging, and planishing. Some say that, for small parts, this machine makes the wheel obsolete. He has made parts with this since 1987, and his largest part done on the 24" throat Benchtop Model is 6ft long and of .040" 1100 aluminum.
Used in concert the Three Machines shear, nibble, bead, joggle, flange, shrink, stretch, and planish. Rapidly. Efficiently. Inexpensively. And to Aircraft quality.
These are seen on our videos:
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Read Articles by The Tinman , showing how to use these products. Also learn very practical techniques for welding, brazing, aluminum repair, and much more.
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See: Air Hammer Parts / Tooling; Chicago Pneumatic upper dies & Watervliet Air Hammer die sets
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