A four-slide, also known as a multislide, multi-slide, or four-way, is a

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...

machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. All ...

used in the high-volume manufacture of small stamped components from

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wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is co ...

stock. The press is most simply described as a horizontal stamping press that uses cams to control tools.. The machine is used for

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

or transfer stamping operations..

Design

A four-slide is quite different from most other presses. The key of the machine is its moving slides that have tools attached, which strike the workpiece together or in sequence to form it. These slides are driven by four shafts that outline the machine. The shafts are connected by

bevel gear Bevel gears are gears where the axes of the two shafts intersect and the tooth-bearing faces of the gears themselves are conically shaped. Bevel gears are most often mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be designed to work at ot ...

s so that one shaft is driven by an

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate forc ...

, and then that shaft's motion drives the other three shafts. Each shaft then has cams which drive the slides, usually of a split-type. This shafting arrangement allows the workpiece to be worked for four sides, which makes this machine extremely versatile. A hole near the center of the machine is provided to expel the completed workpiece..

Advantages and disadvantages

The greatest advantage of the four-slide machine is its ability to complete all of the operations required to form the workpiece from start to finish."What Fourslide Metal Forming Does that Power Press Can’t"
July 21, 2015 , Engineering.com/ Moreover, it can handle certain parts that transfer or progressive dies cannot, because it can manipulate from four axes. Due to this flexibility it reduces the cost of the finished part because it requires less machines,

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s, and handling. Also, because only one machine is required, less space is required for any given workpiece. As compared to standard stamping presses the tooling is usually inexpensive, due to the simplicity of the tools. A four-slide can usually produce 20,000 to 70,000 finished parts per 16-hour shift, depending on the number of operations per part; this speed usually results in a lower cost per part. The biggest disadvantage is its size constraints. The largest machines can handle stock up to wide, long, and thick. For wires the limit is . Other limits are the travel on the slides, which maxes out at , and the throw of the forming cams, which is between . The machine is also limited to only shearing and

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operations. Extrusion and upsetting operations are impractical because it hinders the movement of the workpiece to the next station.

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and

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require too much tonnage and the mechanisms required for the operations are space prohibitive. Finally, this machine is only feasible to use on high volume parts because of the long lead time required to set up the tooling..

Materials

The material stock used in four-slides is usually limited by its

formability Formability is the ability of a given metal workpiece to undergo plastic deformation without being damaged. The plastic deformation capacity of metallic materials, however, is limited to a certain extent, at which point, the material could experienc ...

and not the machine capabilities. Usually the forming characteristics and bending radii are the most limiting factors. The most commonly used materials are:. *Low-carbon cold rolled steel * Spheroidized cold rolled spring steel *Type 300 and 400 stainless spring steels *

Copper alloy Copper alloys are metal alloys that have copper as their principal component. They have high resistance against corrosion. The best known traditional types are bronze, where tin is a significant addition, and brass, using zinc instead. Both of ...

s *

Beryllium-copper Beryllium copper (BeCu), also known as copper beryllium (CuBe), beryllium bronze, and spring copper, is a copper alloy with 0.5–3% beryllium but can contain other elements as well. Beryllium copper combines high strength with non-magnetic and ...

alloys

Use

Items that are commonly produced on this machine include: automotive stampings, hinges, links, clips, and

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References

Bibliography

*. *

External links

Video of a four-slide machine in use.
{{Machine and metalworking tools Industrial equipment Machines