A fourslide (also referred to as multislide) machine is a versatile machine that has the ability to run both flat coil stock to make stampings as well as wire of any type to make wireforms.

The fourslide fabrication process is not very well-known to a number of people in the manufacturing industry because of its specialized nature. It has the ability to make parts with complex shapes and bends that cannot be created using a progressive die.

A typical fourslide machine has two main components: the die section and the slide section. The slide section is the area in which each slide is activated by separate cams that move or “slide” the tool into the coil strip or wire. Each slide will approach the strip or wire from four different positions, hence the name “fourslide”. Prior to the strip advancing to the slide section, it first moves through die section. Similar to a progressive die tool, the die will perform the “gutting” (removal of extra material that is not needed to facilitate the part fabrication) and form some bends if needed. Not all fourslides have a die section as it is not always needed, especially in the fabrication of wire forms that can be made with precision tolerances and at higher run rates. The fabrication of a wireform follows the same principles as a stamping, except for the fact that a die station may not always be necessary.

Rowley Spring and Stamping’s ability to run both fourslide and progressive dies gives us the ability to determine which process will run faster, utilize the material more efficiently, and provide a high quality part at a reasonable cost.