Tabbing Parameters

[fareng]

I am looking at tabbing parts into the skeleton as they are cut out to avoid tip ups. Dose any one have any good suggestions on tab sizing and lead in and lead out that should be used.

We are cutting 16 gage to 3/8 inch mild steel.

Thanks

 

[msandoval]

A good tab size would be anywhere from 0.020" to 0.030" which will be good for sheetmetal. The best lead-in you can use to hold the parts in place with the tab will be a straight lead-in.

As far as the thicker material, not sure if you can hold anything thicker than 1/4 unless you use a massive tab.

Good Luck

 

[laserman16]

Don't forget to account for beam width when setting your tab size. This is a common mistake and can cause parts to not be properly tabbed and during lights out operation will be a problem.

The standard beam width can vary from between .008 to .014. If you are unsure about this and want to check you can easily so so by just doing a straight edge cut and measuring it but if you account for .008 you should be completly fine.

 

[fareng]

I think I got it. I have been able to hold a 0.010 to .020 tab consistently up to .180 and am still working on the thicker materials. The key is the lead out should go back about 45 degrees into the cut. So if you are cutting from left to right and your cut is ending on the bottom of the part the lead out should go down and to the left at 45 degrees.

This addresses the kerf issue since the offset is perpendicular to the cut path. With out doing this the kerf from machine to machine makes it difficult to keep a consistent tab since beam sizes may vary.

 

[MITS1]

First off I am new to the forum so hello. I use .030 tabs on everything from .187 up to and including .500 approach is 90 deg. and escape is 120deg. My Mits. LVPLUS runs 24/7 lights out. When cutting 9/16 and 5/8 I change the gap to .050 and pre-pierce the whole sheet first.