What is a Fourslide Machine?
Updated: Aug 12
A fourslide, also known as a multislide, multi-slide or four-way, is a metal-working machine used in the high-volume manufacturing of small stamped components from coil strip or wire. It can be simply described as a horizontal stamping press that uses cams to control multiple forming tools. Unlike a conventional stamping press, a fourslide can approach and form the workpiece from multiple directions.
The fourslide is much different from other presses. The key of the machine is its moving slides that have tools attached, which strike the material to form it. These slides are driven by four shafts that outline the machine. The shafts are connected by gears so that one shaft is driven by a motor and then that shaft’s motion drives the other three shafts. Each shaft then has cams that drive the slides. This shafting arrangement allows the material to be worked on four sides, which makes this machine extremely versatile. A drop hole near the center of the machine allows the completed part to exit the tooling area.
The advantage of the fourslide machine is its ability to complete multiple operations required to form the material from start to finish. This flexibility can reduce the cost of the finished part by requiring fewer machines, setups, and handling operations. Compared with conventional stamping presses, fourslide tooling can also be less expensive due to the simplicity of the individual forming tools.
Depending on part complexity and the number of operations required, a fourslide can produce approximately 20,000 to 70,000 finished parts per shift. These production speeds can result in a lower cost per part. Fourslide stamping is commonly used to manufacture clips, wire forms, brackets, contacts, and other small precision metal components.
Looking for Fourslide Metal Stamping?
AMTech provides custom fourslide and multi-slide metal stamping for precision clips, brackets, electrical contacts, wire forms, and other formed metal components. With in-house tooling and prototype-to-production capabilities, we can help determine whether fourslide manufacturing is the right process for your part.
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