Strippit Single-Station Punch Machines
Machine Models, Some History, and Some Trouble-Shooting
George Wales Founded the Strippit Company in 1925.
Some of their Early Products were the Preloaded-Spring Self-Stripping Punch Unit and the Single-Station Punch Machines that Used This "Strippit-Style" of Tooling.
Sadly, Since Then, The Strippit Co. has been Bought, Sold, and Traded like a Poker Chip.
Under the Current Owner Du Jour, LVD has Sold-Off "Strippit-Tooling" to Wilson Tool.
This Style Tooling is Now Known as "Thin-Turret" Tooling. Note, There is More on Tooling-Types & Tooling Web-Links at the Bottom of Web-Page "Strippit vs Amada".
LVD-Strippit has also Abandoned Manufacturing All the "SAF's" Machines
(Semi-Automated Fabricator) which Strippit called their Single-Station Manual Machines.
I will Divide All the S.A.F. Machines that Strippit Made, into 2 Broad Categories.
The First Machine Category is the Early-Type Punch Machines made from 1925 to 1960.
These Machines Had the Flywheel in the Very Back of the Machines.
They also used an Awkward Punch Tool-Holder that Fit-Into the Machine's Table Top.
These were made in Models 10A, 10AA, 15A, Etc.
Some Models had a Duplicator Option. You would Punch a Master Pattern Sheet,
put it in the Duplicator-Holder, then Manually move Stylus to each Pattern-Hole.
The Duplicator would move your Work-Sheet at the same time under the Punch Ram, and you would Punch Sheet as you moved to each position.
These are No Parts Available, and Little or No Service Support for these Pre-1960 Machines. If you need a Part, you will need to Make-It in a Machine Shop,
or look for a cheap "Parts" Machine from a Used Machine Dealer, Auctions, or Ebay.
We at Machine Technologies, Do Not-Support these Early Machines in Any-Way,
as We have a Firm Policy of Not Working on Machines that are Older than Our Wives.
Strippit 10AA
Strippit 15A
Strippit 10A with Duplicator
Second Machine Category is Late-Type Punch Machines made from 1960 to about 2001.
Most of these Machines were Mechanical, using "New-Style Hydra-Mechanical Head" and 2-Flywheels in the Front of the Machine with 1 on Each Side of the Frame.
There was also 2 Hydraulic Machines Made, the Super 30/40HD and the Super 36/75.
All used a New-Style "Swing-Arm" Punch Tool-Holders that Locked under the Punch-Head, and was Much Easier to use than the Old-Style. These Punch Holders came in 4 Sizes, 1 1/4 Inch, 2x2 Inch Notch, and 3 1/2 Inch for the 30 Ton Machines. The 40 & 75 Ton Machines could also use the Optional 5 Inch Holders. Note, the Sizes Refers to Largest Punch-Tool (Hole-Size) the Holder could take,
and Not the Actual Hole-Size in the Swing-Arm Holder.
Machines were made in Models Custom 18/30, Custom 30/30, Custom 30/40 & Super 30/40 (Mechanical), Super 30/40HD (Hydraulic), and the Most-Popular Super 30/30.
The Model Name means the following; "Custom" means the Work-Table is Fixed in it's Position, where the "Super" means the Work-Table can be Moved Up or Down several Inches in Relation to the Punch-Die Top Surface, with a Hand-Crank Wheel on the Lower Front of the Machine. Moving the Table Down gives you Clearance, so you could Punch a Hole in a Metal Box, Angle-Iron, or some other Already Formed Metal Part.
The First Number, as in 18/30, means the Throat-Clearance, in this case 18 Inches.
The Second Number Means the Tonnage the Machine Supposedly could Punch.
These "30 Ton Machines" were Not Really 30 Ton Machines, they would Spray-Out Oil and Break Punch-Head Parts if you used them on Near-Capacity 30 Ton Holes.
I would Advise Not Using them on over 20 Ton Punched Holes.
The Super 30/40 Mechanical Machines were made in the 1960's & 1970's, and was just a Super 30/30 with Bigger Flywheels, and were Definitely Not 40 Ton Machines!
Strippit Sonic 15,
Old-Style Machine with New Style Swing-Arm Punch Holder
Strippit Custom 18/30
Strippit Super 30/30
with Table-Extension Option
In the 1960's & 1970's, Strippit also made the Super 36/75 Machine. These were Very Heavy-Duty Machines with a 36 Inch Throat and Could Punch 75 Ton Holes! They used a Hydraulic Piston Driving a Mechanical Knuckle-Mechanism that Drove the Punch-Ram.
Because of the Various Problems trying to Punch Big 30 & 40 Ton Holes with the Mechanical 30/30 and 30/40 Machines, Strippit came out with the
Super 30/40 HD (Hydraulic) Machine in 1977.
These Machines had No-Flywheels, and instead used a 10HP Electric Motor & Pump to Power the Hydraulic-Ram Punch-Head. These Machines would Punch an Honest 40-Ton Hole and Ask for More! These Machines were the Best of All the Strippit S.A.F. Machines, and are Highly Recommended, Especially if you want to Punch Big Holes in Thick Material or Stainless Steel.
Note, Some Used Machine Dealers list the Crappy Mechanical Super 30/40 Machines
as the Vastly Superior Super 30/40HD Hydraulic Machines,
because they Do Not Know any Better, or are Dishonest.
Always Check-Out The Machines Carefully Before You Buy, Not After!!!
Strippit Super 30/40HD
Painted 1980's Yellow & Racing Stripes
Strippit Super 30/40HD
Painted in the 1970's Puke-Green
Strippit
Super 36/75
This page was last updated: May 8, 2008
Note!!!
I Specialize in the Strippit CNC HECC80-Control Turret-Machines,
Not The Single-Station S.A.F. Machines!
Strippit made Thousands and Thousands of these S.A.F. Machines.
Sorry, I Really Do Not have Time to Talk to All of You Guys
on Your Particular S.A.F. Machine's Problems!
However, As a Free-Service to You,
I will Add to This Web-Page, from Time to Time,
More Trouble-Shooting & Repair-Information for these S.A.F. Machines.
Which is a Hell of a Lot More than Strippit Will Do for You!
I Do have Repair & Operation Manuals For-Sale,
as well as a Few Repair Parts.
I Suggest you Buy a Manual, if you do not have one,
and Learn to Maintain & Repair Machine Yourself.
I don't think Strippit has any Service Available for S.A.F. Machines Anymore,
but feel free to call and ask them.
Rebuilding these Machines can be a Bit Tricky if you don't
have the Tools and Prior Experience.
If You Need Field-Service Repairs In Your Shop,
Call These Servicemen;
Dennis Porter 831-385-1369, West-Coast Service Area.
He is the Best in the World on Repairing and Re-Machining
S.A.F. Machines to Like-New Operation.
Dennis will also Work on Shears & Press-Brakes.
Alan Suda 708-826-9845, Chicago & Mid-West Service Area.
Very Good on S.A.F. Machines, and Strippit CNC Turret-Machines.
Bob Kelly 815-355-0531, Chicago-Land Area.
Good on S.A.F. Machines, and Strippit Fanuc-Control Turret-Machines.
More Strippit Servicemen are Listed on My
and
The U.S. Tooling Companies are Listed at the Bottom of my
"Strippit vs Amada" Web-Page.
Use the Hot-Link Buttons Below!
Trouble-Shooting & Repairs
The S.A.F. Machines are Quite Reliable.
But as Most Shops Do No Maintenance at All,
and Add-In the Fact that Many Machines are now 20, 30, or even over 40 years old, they certainly can develop issues. Some Common Problems are;
1 --- Swing-Arm Holders.
Often Shops Buy a Used Machine, but Fail to get Both the 1 1/4" and 3 1/2" Holders!
Or while Using the Machine, Operators are Switching Back & Forth between the 2 Holders, and Eventually 1 of them Falls-Off Machine and Hits the Floor.
The Holder will then Break into 2 Pieces!
Strippit's Holders were made of Cast-Iron that Breaks Easily.
You Can't Fix-It, Many have Tried! Buy a New Holder, Our's are Made of Steel!
5 --- Hooks & Handles
Right & Left Hooks and Left & Right Handles Lock-In Swing-Arm Holders to Machine.
These are the Biggest Wear Items on Strippit Single Station Machines..
They Very Commonly are Worn-Out, Will Not Stay Locked and Keep the Swing-Arm Tightly Closed. This Allows Holders to Move and Wobble, which causes your Tools to Wear & Break, and causes Bad Punched Hole Quality.
If your Knuckle-Head Operators have Bungee-Cords Holding Handles Closed,
Your Hooks & Handles are Shot!
They will need to be Replaced to Fix Problem. We Carry these Parts.
6 --- Maintenance Manuals.
If you do Not have a Manual for Your Machine, You Need to Get One! And Read It.
We have Manuals Available for the Custom 18/30, Super 30/30, and Super 30/40 HD.
4 --- Bushings
Bushings in the 1 1/4" and 3 1/2" Swing-Arm Holders Wear-Out, Mainly from Operators Not using Molykote Grease on Tooling! This allows Punch-Tools to Move & Deflect, causing Tool-Wear & Burred Holes. If you can Rock a New-Tool Back & Forth Much, your Holder Bushing is Worn and should be Replaced and Aligned. Original S.A.F. Bushings, which were 1/16" Longer that Turret Types, are no longer available. We now use #100230-000 1 1/4" and #100734-000 3 1/2" Turret Bushings.
7 --- Grease Your Bearings!
The Left & Right Crankshaft Bearings, Pitman Bearing, and Ram-Housing all need to be Greased Regularly. Grease these Bearings Every Week or 2, depending on Machine usage. If you don't, the Bearings Gall-Up and Drag on the Crankshaft, which Slows the Crank Speed causing Loss of Punch Tonnage. Eventually, the Crank will Grind to a Stop and the Motor Overload will Trip-Out. At this point, you have to do a Expensive Machine Rebuild. Its Best to Maintain your Machines, and Avoid This!
Strippit Specified Mobil EP1 Grease, but I have switched to the Newer Mobil Synthetic (RED) Greases which Protect Better and Don't Dry-Out and Turn to Thick-Wax. Mobilith 220 or 460 both should work well here. Put it in a Grease Gun Dedicated to This Machine, and Chain the Grease-Gun to the Machine, or it will Grow-Legs and
Walk-Away, and Will Not be Found when you Need It! Grease Machine Regularly!
8 --- Maintain Proper
Hydraulic Oil Level
Inside Punch-Head!
Rotate the Right-Flywheel
Until the Scribed "B.D.C. Line"
(Bottom Dead Center) is Lined-Up
with Bottom of the Electrical Box.
Using the
#49579-000 Dip-Stick,
Check & Maintain Proper Level of
Mobil DTE-24 Oil
inside the Punch-Head.
Too-Little Oil
and you will
Short-Stroke Punch.
Too-Much Oil
and it will
Over-Stroke
and Spray-Out Oil while Punching.
Chain the Dip-Stick to Machine,
or it also will Walk-Away.
If Your's is already Gone,
We have these Dip-Sticks In-Stock!
3 --- Lock-Pins
Check the 2 -- #62560-000 Lock-Pins, on the Swing-Arms,
that the Hooks Lock-On to.
They Must be Lubed with a Light Oil and be able to Rotate Freely, or they will Develop a Wear-Spot, cause Alignment Problems, and need to be Replaced.
13 --- Some Common Electrical Problems.
Note, This Section Only Applies to the Custom 18/30, Custom 30/30, Super 30/30,
and the Super 30/40 Machines that were the Most Common SAF's made.
It does Not Apply to the Hydraulic Machines like the Super 30/40 HD and Super 36/75.
Trouble-Shooters also need to Understand that SAF's were made for over 40 Years,
and there are Many Variations in Electrical Wiring, Electrical Components, and Mechanical Components used. You will need to Understand how it Works to Fix it.
You will Need a Maintenance Manual, Which has the Electrical Schematic in it,
to do any Trouble-Shooting. Manual also has More Trouble-Shooting Charts & Theory.
As a Rule, an Electrical Device Fails in 1 of 2 Ways;
--- It "Shorts" or "Short-Circuit" meaning Very-Low or No-Resistance.
--- It "Opens" or "Open-Circuit" meaning Very-High or Infinite-Resistance.
8A --- Fuse Blows when you Try to Punch in Single or Nibble Mode.
Caused by Shorted Punch Solenoid Coil, Normal Resistance is about 15 ohms.
8B --- No Punch in Single or Nibble Mode.
Caused by Open Punch Solenoid Coil, Normal Resistance is about 15 Ohms.
8C --- Machine will Punch with Tool Handle Open & and Not Locked-In.
Caused by Tool Handle Lock Switch being Shorted.
8D --- No Punch in Single or Nibble Mode.
Caused by Tool Handle Lock Switch being Open.
8E --- Punches OK in Nibble, but Blows Fuse 4FU and won't Punch in Single Mode.
Caused by Control Relay #1 Coil Short, Normal Resistance is about 250 Ohms.
8F --- Punches OK in Nibble, No Punch in Single.
Caused by Control Relay #1 Coil Open.
8G --- Varying Short to Normal Stroke in Single, Normal Operation in Nibble.
Caused by Limit Switch #1 Short.
8H --- No Punch in Single, Normal Operation in Nibble.
Caused by Limit Switch #1 Open.
8I --- Starts Nibbling when you Punch in Single Mode, must Turn-Off Machine to Stop.
Caused by Limit Switch #2 Short.
8J --- No Punch or Very Short Stroke in Single, Normal Operation in Nibble.
Caused by Limit Switch #2 Open.
8K --- Fuse 4FU Blows as Punch Ram starts to move down in Single or Nibble.
Caused by Control Relay #2 Coil Short, Normal Resistance is about 2000 Ohms.
8L --- Machine continues to Punch in Single as long as Foot Petal is Depressed.
Caused by Control Relay #2 Open, Normal Resistance is about 2000 Ohms.
8M --- No Punch in Single, but Nibble Punches Without Depressing the Footswitch.
Caused by Limit Switch #3 Short.
8N --- Constant Nibble Punching in Single Mode, Normal Operation in Nibble Mode.
Caused by Limit Switch #3 Open.
8O --- 1 Punch at Power-On. Punching in Nibble without depressing Footswitch.
Caused by Shorted Footswitch.
8P --- Will not Punch in Single or Nibble Mode.
Caused by Open Footswitch.
8Q --- 3-Phase Fuses Blow. Caused by;
-- Bad (Shorted) Flywheel Press-Drive Motor
-- Stalled Motor from Old Hardened Grease
-- Stalled Motor from Bad Crankshaft Bearings
-- Wrong A.C. Voltage
-- Shorted / Melted Step-Down Transformer. Caused by Wrong A.C. Voltage to Machine or Big-Loads Plugged-In to 110 VAC Machine Power Socket.
This External Power-Socket was made only for a 60 Watt Work-Light!
I sometimes Disconnect this Socket to Prevent this Common Problem.
Punch Tooling
I get many Calls on Where to Buy New Punch Tooling & Dies.
Sadly, and Quite Stupidly, LVD Strippit Sold-Off All Their Tooling Lines, and
No Longer Makes "Strippit Tooling" that the Strippit Company was Named for!
This Type of Tooling is now Known as "Thin Turret Tooling".
All of these Strippit SAF Machines Use "Thin Turret Tooling".
Some of the Single-Station Machines that had a CNC-Control Factory-Installed,
like the "AG's" (Auto-Gageing) and "Super 750's", were Optioned & Sometimes Manufactured to take the "Thick-Turret / Long / Amada" Type of Tooling.
But, Strictly Speaking, these are Not SAF Machines. They are CNC Punch Machines.
I have 5 Hot-Links to the 5 Manufactures of Thin-Turret Tooling
at the Bottom of my Web-Page
So, Go To That Page For These 5 Tooling Links.
The 2ND Generation is the "AG's"
Made in the Late 1980's & Early 1990's, Strippit Simply took their Custom 18/30 & Custom 30/30 SAF Machines, and Bolted-On a Cheap Japanese 2-Axis CNC Gageing Control, to make a
Auto-Gageing (AG) Machine.
At Left, is A Late 1980 Vintage
Super 30/30AG Machine
with the "Long Tooling" Option.
The Control Company is Now
Out of Business, and there is
No Control Parts Available!!!
And Little or No Strippit Support!
Avoid these "AG" Machines!
CNC Side-Gage & Auto-Gage Machines
Strictly Speaking, These are Not SAF Machines.
They are Auto-Gageing (AG) and NC & CNC Single-Station Punch Machines.
So Far, Strippit has had 4 Generations of these Types of Machines.
The 1St Generation was the FM36/75 (Fabra-Matic) Machines.
Strippit made Both the
Manual Super36/75 SAF Machines,
as well as these Automatic
NC Control Fabra-Matic Machines in the 1960's & 1970's with a Hughes 200 or General Electric NC Control.
NC Controls had No Memory, and simply read Information from Papertape, moved X & Y Axis with the Part-Sheet, and Punched when in Position. A Program Stop was made when Operator was required to Manually Change the Tool. No Parts or Service is Available for these Machines.
The 3ND Generation is the "Super750"
Made in the Late 1990's & Early 2000's,
Strippit Finally designed a Decent Auto-Gageing Single-Station Machine,
But then Hobbled It by putting another Version of Strippit's Crappy PC-Control on it!
PC-Controls are Not a Bad Thing, its just that LVD-Strippit has a
Reputation for Not Supporting Their PC Controls after just a Few Short Years!
In this Case, the "Control" Requires an Old PC-Computer that Runs on DOS
(Remember DOS, Pre-Windows, from the 1980's!)
so when you have Problems, and you try to replace the Control Computer,
you will find that Newer Computers and Windows do Not work on it!
I am getting a Lot of calls on Super750's with these Computer Problems.
Again, The Machine is Good, but I would Avoid them because of
Strippit's Crappy PC-Control and Strippit's Even More Crappy Support for it.
Ask the People who Own a Strippit FC1000R with a Apple-MAC or Windows PC-Control.
Note, Mr. Keith Coffee is Pretty-Good at Fixing these PC-Controls,
He is listed on my "Independent Strippit Service" Web-Page. Go There.
The 4ND Generation is the "Alpha's"
These were a Updated & Redesigned Super750, and were reported to be good Machines that worked well.
These Machines used yet another Version of Strippit's (Windows-Based?)
PC-Control.
Production was Brief, starting about 2005, and seems to have ended in 2007.
2 --- 3 1/2" to 1 1/4"
Die Adaptor
These S.A.F. Machines all come Standard with a Die Pedestal that Accepts a Standard 3 1/2" Die.
To use 1 1/4" Tooling, you will Need Both the 1 1/4" Swing-Arm AND
the 3 1/2" to 1 1/4" Die Adaptor.
These also seem to get Lost when Used Machines are Bought & Sold.
A New Adaptor will cost about $400.
Punch Tooling Sizes
As there are Many Thousands & Thousands of these S.A.F. Machines Out-There,
many New People & Small Shops are Picking-Up these Machines
at a Local Friends Shop or at Auctions, and have
No Idea What the Tooling Sizes Mean, and are Thoroughly Confused.
For Instance, They Measure the "Hole" in their 1 1/4" Holder, and see that it is
1 1/2", and think they need 1 1/2" Tooling, which Does Not Exist!
For Standard "Strippit-Style" "Thin-Turret" Tooling, there has Only been 4 Sizes,
1 1/4", 3 1/2", 5", and "Notch" Tooling.
For Example, 1 1/4" Tooling means a Type of Small Tooling that can Hold a Punch
from 0 to 1 1/4" in Size. Obviously, the Punch-Holder that Holds this Tooling
Must be Larger that the Biggest Punch Tool Size.
All 1 1/4" Type Tool Holders are 1 1/2" in Diameter.
By a Wild Coincidence, This is the Same Size of the "Hole" in a 1 1/4" S.A.F.
Swing-Arm Holder or a Turret 1 1/4" Station, that the 1 1/4" Tooling Fits into!
So, To Recap;
---- 1 1/4" Type-Tooling takes 0" to 1 1/4" Punch Sizes,
and fits into a Holder of 1 1/2" in Diameter.
---- Notch-Tooling can be from 0" to 2" Punch Size, but is Almost Always a
2"x2" Square, and fits into a Special Notch-Holder that is 3 1/2" in Diameter.
---- 3 1/2" Type-Tooling takes 0" to 3 1/2" Punch Sizes,
and fits into a Holder of 4 3/8" in Diameter.
---- 5" Type-Tooling takes 0" to 5" Punch Sizes,
and fits into a Holder of 5 7/8" in Diameter.
For Reference only,
Here is a Photo of a Rare
"2x2 Notch" Swing-Arm Holder.
So Named because they almost always have a 2"x2" Square-Punch in it for Corner-Notching and Blanking-Out Large Holes.
This is the same Notch Tool that is used in the "Notch Station #1"
in Older Strippit Turret-Machines.
I don't believe Strippit makes
these "Notch" Tools or Swing-Arm Holders anymore.
These was also a Very Large 5" Inch Swing-Arm Holder
available for the 40 Ton S.A.F. Machines.
5" Swing-Arms, 5" Punch Holders, and 5" Tooling are No Longer Manufactured.
9 --- #49011-000 Solenoid
I get a Lot of Calls for Burned-Out Solenoids. I believe these Burn-Out when some Other Component, like a Failed-Switch, which allows A.C. Power to be on Continuously to Solenoid.
Find the Other Failure Also!!!
A Real Pain to Replace, as you have to Drop the Ram-Housing
and Rebuild the Punch-Head.
Make Sure the Solenoid Plunger is Aligned with the Slot in Solenoid or you will Smash It when you try to Jack the Head Back-Up in place.
10 -- #119951-000 Punch-Head Rebuild Kit. If you Drop Down the Ram-Housing,
you might as Well "Rebuild the Punch-Head" with New Packing Rings and
Ram-Springs. Kit Consists of;
1 -- #10461-000 Steel Drain-Ball
1 -- #10925-000 Set-Screw, Steel Ball-Retainer
2 -- #11153-000 Retainer-Ring Set-Screws without Ny-Loc, Or
#10871-000 Retainer-Ring Set-Screws with Ny-Loc Thread-Lock
2 -- #11143-000 Nylon-Ball, used under Retainer-Ring Set-Screws
2 -- #10859-000 Flat-Head Socket-Head Cap Screw with Ny-Loc, for Ram-Plate
4 -- #11489-000 Flat-Head Socket-Head Cap Screw, for Cover-Plate,
Note, Some Manuals List Incorrect #11499-000 for this Part
1 -- #12593-000 O-Ring
1 -- #16144-000 O-Ring
1 -- #14360-000 O-Ring
1 -- #10651-000 O-Ring
1 -- #49509-000 Set of 4 Packing Rings
4 -- #49516-000 Ram Springs
You really don't need to replace all this Stuff.
I usually just replace Nylon-Balls,
Packing-Rings, and Ram-Springs as they are Always Broken.
Other Parts can be Used Again. Use some Locktite 242 on the Screws to keep them tight.
Hint. Don't Leave Machine-On for Hours when Not Using it, as
Ram is Always going Up & Down,
and it Wears Out Ram-Springs
and the Packing-Rings!
11 --- #62081-000 Finger Stop Assembly, for Side-Gaging.
Make sure you get these when Buying your Used Machine.
I can get You New Stops if you Didn't.
The Following is a Few Tips on Rebuilding the Punch Head.
Pull the 2 Taper-Dowel Pins.
Now you know
Why I Have a
Dowel Pin Web-Page.
Block-Up the Head so it won't Fall.
You will Need a Good Allen-Socket Set.
A Pipe makes a good Torque Amplifier
to Loosen & Tighten the Bolts.
I just Put-In New Hooks & Handles in this Machine, as the Old Handles would Not Lock-In and the Swing-Arm could be Rocked Back & Forth, so it Ate Tooling.
There is a Small 1/8" Roll-Pin that Engages the Slot in the Bottom of each Hook. This makes the Hooks-Open all the way when you pull the Handles-Open, so you can Remove the Swing-Arm.
Unfortunately, they are Always Broken as they are Too Small to Withstand
Ham-Fisted Operators who Jerk the Handles Open & Close. Put in a New Pin.
The Packing-Ring Retaining-Ring Usually has 2 Indentations on the Bottom for a Special Spanner-Wrench that I have Never Seen. So you can Tighten Ring as much as you can by Hand, then Tap-It Tighter with a Small Pin-Punch and Hammer. Try Not to Bugger-Up the Ring!
--- Make Sure the Solenoid and the Solenoid-Plunger are Aligned, or you could Break the Solenoid if you Force up the Housing.
--- New Packing Rings sometimes make it Difficult to Get Ram-Piston back into Housing. A Second Set of Hands can Help a Lot.
--- Carefully Pry-Up and Block-Up the Ram-Housing into Position.