Fourslide machines have been around for well over a century, and despite this long history, their fundamental design has remained fairly constant. The machine consists of a stock straightener feed, press head, cut-off, four or more forming slides, and two vertical levels. The motions are cam-driven to ensure their accuracy, precision, and speed.
The fourslide forms the foundation of most manufacturing companies. They play an important role in the spring and wire forming process, and can also be used to produce spare parts from ribbon or strip stock, or to assemble parts of tools to form a workable instrument. Because of the built-in motions, fourslides are more multipurpose and cost effective than progressive die tooling.
Fourslides are often used in assemblies like buckles, latches, and bucket handles, to name a few. If a part has a shape or multiple bends- then a fourslide is the best choice to produce it. Fourslides can produce parts from wires as thin as .003 inches to as thick as .625 inches. Some fourslides or “multislides” have built-in press heads capable of producing parts from flat stock as narrow as .062 inches and as wide as 3 inches. The capabilities and applications of a fourslide are limited only by your imagination!