[fhhhstix]

Originally Posted by Espeefan

Joe, no offense, but I don't think either one of us could say we know for sure. The thicker components of the WA500 probably are CNC machined, but I would also wager that the thinner components are stamped. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Stamping yields high quality parts, held to tight and accurate tolerances too. Don't think of it as a knock on the quality of the model. The axle mounting brackets for the front axle, the cylinder mounts for the bucket cylinder, the front fenders, the c-channel bracket that the steering cylinders bolt to, the hood, the rock bucket components, and many of the cab parts could have been stamped. Progressive dies can cut, punch holes, and form small parts like these, and do so accurately. I'd almost guarantee you that many of those smaller parts could not be formed with a brake press. The bends would be to close together for the tooling. For a stamping die, it would be a cake walk. You should see what a progressive stamping die can make. You'd be surprised.

Nathan the Stahl parts are CNC cut not stamped. What Joe was saying is that Stahl milled relief cuts into the panels to force them to bend where he wanted them to. In the pics below look at the corners and you will see that the parts were milled about half way through where the bends are. He made the cylinder protectors the same way on the blade and even the hinges for the doors. Both my loader and dozer are made this way.















Travis