American Style Top Tools (BIU 800 - 950)
Wila's American Style top tools can be used on all press brakes equipped with an American Style adaptation. This adaptation is almost solely used in North America and is characterized by a centrally-located clamp opening, making it theoretically possible to turn tools around. Here too, it is not possible to change tools vertically; all tools must be horizontally slid in and out of the clamp holders. Distinctive properties of Wila's American Style top tools include their different length, as well as their specially-designed shape, which is often slightly different from what is commonly seen. For air bending in particular, the Wila program offers more possibilities. With a limited number of models, the same high functionality is achieved. Advantages for the customer: lower tool costs and fewer changeovers.


American Style Bottom Tools (OZU 800 - 950)
Wila's American Style bottom tools can be used on all press brakes equipped with a clamping slot measuring at least 13.5 x 18 mm / 0.531” x 0.708” (W x H). Although this adaptation is virtually the same as the clamping slot commonly used in Europe, measuring 13.5 x 23 mm / 0.531” x 0.906”, these tools are not directly interchangeable due to the differences in these slots. Because Wila recently modified the tang on its New Standard bottom tools specifically for this application, now they can also be used in clamping holders made in North America.

The unique aspects of Wila's American Style  bottom tools include their different length, which makes handling much easier. In addition, the Wila program offers a balanced mix of both air-bending and bottom-bending tools.

As part of our drive towards optimum productivity of press brakes, Wila has developed its own tooling system in addition to the well known ‘European Style' and ‘American Style'. This system distinguishes itself by a high degree of accuracy, speed, safety, longevity and flexibility. This unique ‘Wila Style' (previously known as Modufix) has become the ‘New Standard' in the industry.

New Standard top tools (BIU 0 - 599)
The essence of New Standard top tools is the Safety-Click, a spring-safety mechanism which is incorporated into the tool. With the Safety-Click$, tools can be changed vertically, simply by clicking them into and out of the holder. This means that changeover time can be reduced considerably. Of course, tools can still be changed horizontally by sliding them in and out of the end of the ram. Tools up to 100 mm / 4” in length are equipped with one Safety-Click; tools longer than 100 mm / 4” are equipped with two Safety-Click's. For safety reasons, Safety-Click$'s are used for tools weighting up to 12.5 kg / 28 lbs. If the tool weights more than 12.5 kg / 28 lbs, it is equipped with locking pins and can only be changed horizontally (fig. 5.8). For weights of more than 25 kg / 56 lbs, the tools are equipped with safety keys.

Because the New Standard tang is symmetrical to the center line, turning the 
tool around (over the x axis) is also possible, providing additional versatility.
The top tools can be delivered with the 
pressure surface on top or on the shoulders of the tang.

New Standard Bottom Tools (OZU 0 - 599)
New Standard bottom tools can be used on all press brakes that have a clamping slot measuring 13.5 x 22 mm / 0.531” x 0.866” (W x H). With the OZU tools in the New Standard program with a working height of 80 mm / 3.15”, the V openings are equipped with bending radii amounting to approximately 10% of the V opening. OZU bottom tools with a working height of 100 mm / 3.937” come with larger bending radii (approximately 20% of the V opening), which is particularly effective when bending materials covered with foil. By using larger bending radii, the foil remains intact longer and marking on sensitive sheet materials is reduced.
A number of tools in the New Standard program are available in two working heights: 55 mm / 2.165” and 100 mm / 3.937” . The tools with a working height of 100 mm / 3.937” offer the user more bending freedom.

In addition to tools for air bending, the program also includes tools for bottom bending. For the bottom bending tools, not only the bending radii (fig. 5.6) but also the entire V-opening are CNC deephardened, because with bottom 
bending the sheet comes into contact with not only the bending radii (like in air bending), but also with the flanks of the V opening.

CNC-Deephardening® is a hardening process recently developed by Wila specifically for use in press brake tooling. The specific properties of this process make it ‘the' process to apply a functional hardening layer to Wila produced tooling. Applying the hardened layer is very well controlled; the hardening depth can be influenced with great – consistent – accuracy and no 
additional stresses are brought into the product.
Based on many years of research and experience, we have determined that the bending radii of press brake tooling should at least be hardened to 54 HRc; this value can be guaranteed by using CNC-Deephardening®.
Compared to the other hardening processes like laser hardening, nitrating etc., CNC-Deephardening® results in a product with a superior longevity.

With reference to the clamping of its New Standard top tools, Wila now markets its New Standard Clamping I (NSCL I). In continuation of the Universal Press Brake Concept, the program has been expanded to include New Standard Clamping II (NSCL II, for New Standard tools), European Clamping (ECL, for European Style tools) and American Clamping (ACL, for American Style tools). In addition, Custom Made clamping systems (CCL) can also be produced.

Press brakes (and folding machines) suffer from a difficulty that has existed from their very beginnings and that is inherent to their construction: the phenomenon that the machine frames deflect somewhat during the bending process. If no correction is made for this deflection, the top tool does not penetrate the same depth into the bottom tool all over the working lenght. As a result, the bending angle is not constant over the entire product length.
In the course of time, various solutions have been developed to compensate for this deviation. 
One of the oldest solutions is “shimming” or “crowning” the bottom tool. The most readily available items were used for this purpose, varying from strips of paper and metal to brass strips. Experienced operators achieved some results in this manner, but it was a time-consuming task that had to be repeated for each product.

As an alternative to the corrections made with paper, metal and brass strips, simple mechanical crowning systems were soon introduced. Using numerous adjustment screws and their corresponding wedges, one by one the top or bottom tool was raised. This too, however, required much time and skill if acceptable results were to be achieved. This is why this solution is used considerably less these days.

In the late 1970s, a breakthrough was achieved when Wila developed its centrally-adjustable crowning system type CVB. Based on this initial design, in later years the improved versions, types CVB/D and NSCR I, were introduced. Today, NSCR II represents the most advanced solution in the area of crowning.

New Standard Crowning II (NSCR II) was specially developed by Wila within the framework of its Universal Press Brake Concept, as a supplement to and improvement on the existing 
New Standard Crowing I (NSCR I). At the same time, as part of the Universal Press Brake Concept, a crowning system was developed for situations with American Style clamping and tool systems. In cases in which European Style clamping and tool systems have been opted for, a special clamping table (OB/Eur-1) can be used, which is actually a fixed table without crowning possibilities. Wila also supplies Custom Made crowning systems, types CVB and CVB/D, as well as the centrally-adjustable crowning equipment, type CVB/DZ, developed specifically for folding presses.