The Anointed Picture Gallery of
Strippit Turret Machines.
I have Worked on Nothing but Strippit Punch Machines for over 31 Years,
and yet, even I can Not keep the Plethora of Strippit Machine Models Straight.
So, I am listing Here, From the Very Oldest
to the Newest Current Production Machines,
Photos & Brief Descriptions of All Strippit Turret Machine Models,
Mainly for My Benefit.
As I have Forgotten More about Strippit Machines,
Than You Even Know,
You may find this Web-Page to Your Benefit Also. Enjoy.
Note that This Web Page is a Large Work-In-Progress,
and that Machines Models and Photos will be Updated Frequently
as I Add Information & Fix Errors. Stop In Again!
FC30/30 & FC40/30
1969 to 1976 FC is Strippit-Speak for "Fabri-Center" which just means it was a NC Machine with Tool-Turret. This was because in the 1960's & 1970's, Strippit also made "Fabra-Matics" (Like FM30/30) which were Single-Station NC Machines using a Swing-Arm Punch Holder (Like Super 30/30's use) that Operator had to Change Tools in to. First Number is Throat Depth in Inches, and Second Number is the Machine Punching Force in Tons. Used Many NC Controls over the Years. This is an early Single-Cabinet Control, so it's a "Incremental" or A/I "Absolute/ Incremental". Later Machines had the 2-Cabinet "Hyper-Loop" Controls. For their Time (Remember that TV's used Tubes back then!) these Machines & Controls were State-Of-The-Art. But when I started with Strippit in 1977, these Machines were Already Considered Obsolete & Unreliable. If you still have 1 now in 2008, for Any Reason At All, you are an Idiot.
FC51/30, FC51/40, FC1250/30, FC1240/40, FC1250/45/51, FC1250/45/72
Built 1970 to 1986 with Many, Many Machine & Controls Versions over the Years.
1970 - 1973 Early Machines had Single NC Control-Cabinet that drove Hydraulic Motors on the X, Y, T Axis, and only Moved at 200 Inches per Minute. The 51 Number was Throat Depth in Inches, so they could Process a Standard U.S. 4 Foot (48 Inches) Wide Sheet of Metal. Second Number was Rated Tons of Punching Force. The "40" Ton Version was Quite Under Rated and used a Flywheel Geared-Down to the Crankshaft. In Tests at Strippit Factory, 5 Inch Holes through Stainless Steel that Required 90 Tons were Easily Punched, and the Noise Scared The Hell Out of the Front Office People. Machines had 51 or Optional 72 Inch Long X-Axis, which was added as Third Number in Later Model Numbers. Most Machines were built with 72 Inch X-Axis and Standard 26 Station Turret with a 5 Inch #1 Station. But some Odd-Ball Turrets were built.
1973 - 1975 Machines had the 2 Cabinet "3-Phase Hyper-Loop" Servo Drive Control. Hydraulic Motors were Replaced with DC Servo Motors, and Axis Speed was Much Faster. These NC Controls were probably the most Technically Difficult and the most Dangerous to work on. They were a Nightmare, and I am so glad they are gone!
1975 - 1978 Machines used several "A" Type NC Controls (see Strippit Controls
Web-Page) that had SCR Hyper-Loop Servo replaced with the General Electric Model 2 PWMP Servo Drives, which was a Huge Improvement. The "A" Control was the Final Version of the Strippit NC Controls, were Quite Good Controls for their Era, and many are still in Daily Use today. Note, for Marketing Reasons, the First Number in the Model Number 51 was changed to 1250, which was the approximate Same Dimension in Millimeters. Geared Crankshaft was Dropped, and Ton rating changed to 45.
1979 - 1986 NC Controls replaced with Strippit's HECC80/1 CNC Control. These are Tough Machines that were built to take abuse, and many are still in production use. But some Mechanical Parts are now Hard to get, though we at Machine Technologies still have the all the Electronic Parts. These 2-Piece (Frame & Table) Machines are difficult to Move & Install properly, as they are still the Same Old 1970 Mechanical Design which were somewhat Copied from the 1960's Wiedemann NC Punch Machines.
FC1000 & FC1000/2
1975 - 1978 FC1000 NC "A" Type Control Machine that were all Factory-Painted in Puke-Green. This was the Machine that Catapulted Strippit into The Industry Leader, until the Greedy MBA's & Bean-Counters all but Killed Strippit in Later Years. The First Punch Machine with Contour Nibbling that could make Large Curves & Circles. The Fastest Machine with X & Y Axis both Moving at 2000 Inches per Minute, Bi-Directional Turret Positioning, and could Punch 180+ Holes a Minute. There are still many "A" Control Machines still Running Production, but I would not recommend one as a "New" purchase, as there are not many of us left that can Service Old "A" NC Controls.
These are 2-Piece Machines, Frame & Table, that are mated together at Installation.
1979 - 1985 FC1000/2 Factory Pained in Yellow. NC Control replaced with Strippit's HECC80/1 CNC Type of Control, which added Program Downloading & Program Memory, Trouble-Shooting & Position Display, Prog-Move & Contour Nibbling now reliability done in Software, Easer Control Maintenance, Easy to Operate, and a Higher Punch rate to 220 in some versions. As they are fairly old now, they are Cheap to Buy, and Many are still used in Daily Production. HECC80 Control Machines are
Machine Technologies Speciality, & we have All Electronic & Mechanical Repair Parts.
FC1250/30/1500
1978 This was Replacement Machine for the Old Style FC1250/30. It was Cheaper to Build, and X & Y Axis were Mechanically Stiffer which was needed as this Machine was to become the Platform for All Strippit's Laser Machines for many years. 2-Piece Machine with separate Frame & Table assemblies. It had a 20 Station Bi-Directional Turret with a 2"x2" Notch in Station #1, 3 - 3 1/2" Stations, and 16 - 1 1/4" Stations. Model Name was for 1250mm Y-Axis Throat-Depth (50 Inches), 30 Tons Punching, and 1500mm (60 Inches) X-Axis. Strippit's New HECC80 CNC Control was Not yet ready, so about the First 10 of these Machines were built using the Old "A" NC Control.
1979 - 1982 Machine received the New HECC80/1 CNC Control.
1982 Machine was Mechanically Updated using the FC1000/3's High-Speed Press Drive, 33-Station Turret & Strengthened Turret-Drive System. The New HECC80/306 Control was Not yet ready, so about 10 of these Updated Machines were built with the Old HECC80/1 CNC Control. These were Very Good & Reliable Machines.
1882 - 1986 CNC Control was Updated to the Strippit HECC80/306 Control with
Bubble-Memory Storage, CRT-Display, Full Keyboard, etc. These were quite good Machines, and most are still in production use.
1986 - 1988 CNC Control, Servo Drives & Servo Motors all changed to Fanuc GN6.
1988 - 1989 CNC Control changed to Fanuc OP.
FC1250/30/1500's were Good Machines, with the later 33-Station Versions being the best. Various 475 to 1300 Watt Add-On Lasers were an Option on these Machines.
Combination Punch & Laser Machines were called "LaserTools" by Strippit, and a few were made without any Punching & Turrets that were called the "LaserCenter".
FC750 and FC750/2
1979 - 1981 These were a Nice Easy to Use and Compact Entry-Point Model Machine in Strippit's Product Line. A 1-Piece Control & Machine & Table made Moving & Installing very easy. Throat Depth was 750mm Y-Axis (30 Inches), X-Axis was 40 Inches, 20 Ton Punching Force, using a 20-Station Unidirectional Clutch & Brake Drive Turret.
1982 - 1985 Machine had minor Control & Machine Updates to make it a Little Faster & More accurate, and was renamed the FC750/2. The Expensive Cosmetic Sheetmetal Skirts that went all the way around Machine were also Dropped, and this made Maintenance Much easier.
FC750 & FC750/2 Machines Turret Drives often got Sloppy after years of Use, and cause poor positioning so that Shotpins would Miss going into Turret Shotpin Bushings.
This is a Known Problem with Known Fixes, see FC750 Turret Fixes Web Page.
These are Inexpensive Used Machines these Days, and are still Good Machines.
These are very good Replacements for the Crappy T-SAF30 and FC75/30 Machines.
Note!!!
This Web-Page is Still
This page was last updated: July 26, 2008
CAP1000 and CAP1250
1980 - 1982 CAP Machines were really a Rehashed Old VT-Series Di-Acro Design from the Mid 1970's. Built by Di-Acro in Lake City, MN. The Fanuc Controls & Servos were reliable, but these were all Light-Duty Crappy Mechanical Design Machines. 2-Piece Machine Design with separate Frame and Table assemblies.
1982 - 1988 But when the MBA Rocket Scientists at Houdaille Industries decided to Close Burgmaster and Di-Acro, the Production of this Model was Moved to the Strippit Co. around 1983, and was Manufactured at Strippit for years. It was a Very Light-Duty Machine that was Not up to Strippit Standards, but when we at Strippit tried to Improve it, Management Firmly told us it was "Already-Designed", and to just "Build-it and Paint-it Strippit". It Punched Too-Fast which Wore-Out Brake Assembly, Crankshaft Bearings, and Punch-Pitman. A Horrible Design, the Brake & Sensors & Crankshaft were Buried Inside the Frame-Plates Lengthwise. CAP1250's had a longer 1250mm
Y-Axis Table assembly. Most Machines used the Reliable Fanuc GN6 Control.
1988 - 1989 Updated to use the newer Fanuc OP Control.
As it is so Light-Duty, and Little Service & Parts are available, I would Avoid All CAP's.
T-SAF30
1979-1985 Strippit took their Excellent Super-30/40 Manual (SAF) Machine, and Bolted-On to it's Side a 12 Station Turret, a Duplicator, and a X/Y Anilam Readout. Anilam is the Companies' Founder, Jay Malina, Name spelled backwards. The Idea was, using Duplicator and X/Y Readout, to Punch out a Master Pattern-Sheet using a 1/4" Round Punch. Then you Bolted Down Master-Sheet, Put a New Sheet into Workclamps, and using your Good Right-Arm (this is Not a CNC!) you Moved Duplicator Stylus into Position, and Pushed Stylus Down into each Pattern 1/4" Hole, causing Machine to Punch. On your Master-Sheet, you would Paint All Holes that you wanted, Say, Punched with Station #1 with Red, then all Holes you wanted Punched with Station #2 Blue, Etc. Operator would Index Station #1 under Ram and put Stylus in all Red-Holes to Punch all needed Station #1 Tool Holes, then Push the Turret Index Switch to go to Next Station #2 and punch all Blue-Holes, Etc. This was a Slow & Clunky Operation, Duplicator was Not very accurate, Turret Mechanism did not work well, there is little or No Repair Parts & Service available,
so I would Avoid these Junk-Machines.
FC75/30
1980 - 1985 Strippit took their Junk T-SAF30 Machine, Bolted-On a G.E. 1050 Control, to make it a Full CNC, Automated-Junk, Machine. X & Y Sheet Size was 30" x 30", and were rated for 30 Tons Punching. These Machines were Slow, not very reliable, not very accurate, have Very Little Repair Parts & Support & Service available anymore, so I would Avoid. Replace them with a FC750, or a FC1000R Fanuc Control Machine if you have more Money.
FC1000XT
1988 - 1990 A version of the FC1000/3 made to sell at a cheaper Marketing "Price Point". FC1000XT Machines all had a 24 Station Turrets instead of the 33 Station Turrets. A Smaller & Slower 1-Speed Dual-Voltage Press Drive Motor was used instead of 2-Speed Single-Voltage Motor of the FC1000/3's, so XT's could be easily changed between 230 or 460 Volts A.C. Power. All XT's used a Reliable Stand-Alone Fanuc OP Control which was Not Mounted on Machine Frame. Strippit also Slowed the X & Y Axis Speed Down to 2000 IPM so as to be less than FC1000/3's 3000 IPM speed. Because CNC Control was Not subject to Machine's Vibration & Shock, and the Press & Axis Speeds were Slightly Reduced, FC1000XP Machines were Very Reliable and Accurate, and I Like this Model very much. Very Good Machines, Recommended.
FM24/24 and FC24/20
1968 -1974 In the Early Years, Strippit called their Turret Machines "Fabramatic", later on they were called "Fabracenter", Very Confusing. The FM24/24's were called both. This was a 24 Ton Machine with a 24 Inch Y-Axis Throat Depth and a 20 Station Turret. This was also a Very Early type of "CNC" as it used a DEC (Digital Equipment Co.) PDP8 Micro Computer for Program Control Memory. In the 1970's, this Same Machine was given a Houdaille NC Control instead of the PDP8 Computer, the Official Rated Tonnage was Reduced to 20, and Machine Model was Renamed the FC24/20.
FM48/60
1967 I believe this was Strippit's First NC-Control Turret Machine, though Strippit made many different NC Single-Station Machine Models during the 1960's & 1979's. This Baby could Punch 60-Ton 5-Inch Holes in 7-Gage Steel! And Punch Full-Size
48" x 120" Sheets With-Out Repositioning! And Even Longer Sheets with it's Repositioning. But what is Really Interesting, it that it is The First Bridge-Frame Turret Punch Machine. Amada likes to say that they Invented the Bridge-Frame, but they Did Not, and Amada Knows it. But at $210,000 in 1967, This Machine was Too Expensive, only a Couple were Built, and Strippit went back to the C-Frame Design for the next 30 Years. I was told by 2 different Sources, that Engineer that Designed it then Left Strippit and took Design to Amada, and that's how they got it. Much like how Amada got their Up-Acting Press Brake Design by Buying the French Promocam Co. in the 1980's.
In The Very Beginning...
SPM750
FC1000/3
1981 - 1982 First Generation FC1000/3 Machines were the replacement for the FC1000/2 series Machines, with the same 38" Y & 48" X Table Size and 30 Ton Punching. However, these were a 1-Piece Machine with the Frame & Table & CNC Control all in 1 Compact and easy to Move & Install Module. Turrets were upgraded to
33-Stations with 1 - 2"x2" Notch in Station #1, 5 - 3 1/2" Stations, and 27 - 1 1/4" Stations. The Fastest Machine for Many Years, X & Y Axis Traveled at 3000 Inches per minute. All Machines had a 2-Speed Press-Drive that would allow Nibbling at .500" Centers in Low-Speed Press Mode, Great for Perforation Air-Hole Jobs. Because of Special 2-Speed Press Drive Motor & Electrics used, All FC1000/3 Machines are for the Single Voltage Stamped on the I.D. Plate Only! These are Either 230Volt A.C. Only, or 460 Volt A.C. Only, they can Not Be Changed. Buy a Large (35-50 KVA) 3-Phase Transformer to change voltage if you brought the wrong voltage Machine. These first 30 or so Machines had the Original HECC80/3 Control that did Not have Bubble Memory and the Features of the Later HECC80/302 Control, though most were Upgraded in the Field to HECC80/302 Status. See "Strippit CNC Control Types" Web-Page.
1982 - 1985 At about Machine Serial Number s/n 030, Machines all got the Improved HECC80/302 Control which added Bubble-Memory for System & Used Program Storage and many more Operator-User & Troubleshooting Features. At about s/n 045 Machines received the improved Heavy-Duty Turret Drive, as the early Drives were weak Mechanically. At about s/n 067, Machines received the much improved "3A" Servo Drives (See "Strippit Servo Drives" Web-Page). So, if I was buying a used FC1000/3, I would prefer a Machine that was above s/n 067.
1985 - 1986 At s/n 200, there were many more Mechanical and Control Upgrades made to further improve reliability. In-House at Strippit, it was referred to as the "Reliability" Machine, and used the HECC80/302A Control. These were the Final HECC80 FC1000/3 Machines, and were the Best of the HECC80 Breed.
1985 - 1988 At about s/n 260, the HECC80 Control was dropped and replaced with the Fanuc "General Numeric" GN6. Fanuc Controls were reliable, but Strippit was still learning to use them, and there were "Bugs" in Early Versions of these Machines.
First Strippit Machine to have Auto-Index Stations, as No HECC80 Control ever had A/I.
1988 - 1989 Fanuc GN6 Control & D.C. Servo Drives were replaced with the New Model Fanuc OP Control and the more reliable A.C. Servo Drives. Around 1987, Strippit quit mounting the Fanuc CNC Control on the Machine Frame, and moved it Off to Stand-Alone on the Left of Machine because, Duh, Electronics do Not like being Shaken-Apart by the Punch Vibration.
FC1000/3 Machines set the Standard, in their Day, for Speed & Accuracy & Ease of Use. I would avoid very early (below s/n 067) Machines. The HECC80/3 Control Versions are very User Friendly, but some Electronic Parts are becoming hard to find.
All the Fanuc Control Versions are very Reliable & Good Machines.
FC1500/45
1982 - 1988 In the Early 1980's, Strippit decided to Stretch beyond Thin Sheetmetal, and to Compete with Companies like Whitney for the "Heavy Plate" Market, and Developed the FC1500/45. This Machine was Strippit's First Foray back to Their
Bridge-Frame Concept since the 1960's. Punching Head was Hydraulic, and Turrets used Whitney 28XX Type Tooling. Most or All Machines were Built with Plasma Cutting Option. Machine was Rated at 45 Metric Tons, and would Cut and Punch up to 5/8 Inch Thick Plate Material! Table Size was 60" Y-Axis and 80" X-Axis, with X-Axis being able to do Progressive Moves for up to 160 Inch Sheet Length. Control was HECC80/304. These were Decent Heavy-Duty Machines, but as they did not sell as many as hoped, about 30, Strippit Lost Interest in Supporting them. Many are still Running Well, but I would not recommend Buying a Used FC1500/45 Today, because of the Limited Parts & Service Availability. If you already Own One, you need to know Keith Coffee, as he is The Best for Repair Service on FC1500/45's.
See my "Independent Strippit Service" Web Page for His Info.
SPM500
SPM750R
1000XP, 1000XP20
FC1250S, FC1250SXP
1250XP, 1250XP20
FC1500H30
1000MXP30
FC1000R2
FC1000SXP
