Page 31 - MetalForming Magazine August 2022

Fabrication: CNC Punch-Shear Combo
to begin with a full-sized sheet of matri- al and end with a finished part after automated loading, punching, forming, shearing and unloading–all in one operation.”
“We don’t have to shake the parts out or deal with a skeleton, which is a huge plus for me,” says Fuentes. “It also has a very tight footprint, which was really important to us.”
Perfect Complements: Combo Tower, Servo-Electric Press Brake
The 10-station Combo Tower allows JST to store several gauges of galva- nized cold-rolled steel, stainless steel and aluminum. “It’s a great space sav- ings and ideal for material tracking. It paid for itself very quickly,” Smith says.
Overall, the SGe and Combo Tower “have shortened dramatically our lead time to market,” continues Smith. “We now can go from concept to prototype in a matter of hours, while our vendor lead times during Covid stretched from 6 to 8 weeks. Having this inhouse capa- bility has allowed us to stay on schedule for a number of deadlines.”
Meanwhile, downstream from the automated punch-shear machine, vir- tually every piece the highly productive cell fabricates makes its way to the Prima Power eP-series press brake. Smith credits the brake for being able to keep up with the constant flow of parts, due to the high acceleration, deceleration and fast response times from its servo-electric drive system.
“Compared to the conventional hydraulic press brakes I’m used to,” Smith says, “the quick setup, operating speed and quality from the electric press brake results in considerably greater productivity with reduced cycle times.”
The press brake, an eP 1336 model, features backgauge upgrades from Prima Power that the firm says opti- mize system rigidity, including a steel frame (rather than aluminum), a dou- ble-hardened linear guide for the Z axis and a double guide on the X axis. Smith opted to include the optional bending follower with the brake to
28 MetalForming/August 2022
avoid the need for an extra operator when bending larger parts and help to ensure bend-angle accuracy.
Technical specs: 130 tons of bending force, 144-in. bed length with 155 in. between side frames. Bend-angle accuracy and consis- tency are optimized due to the pulley-belt system driving the press brake, actuated by servo drives and dis- tributing bending force over the entire bending length. The system consists of fixed and moving rolls spread out over the total working length of the upper beam. Servo-motor drives offer superior movement control and accuracy. And, Smith opted to add the CNC crowning option to compensate for lower- frame deflection during bending.
Downstream from the automated punch-shear machine at JST Power Equipment, virtually every piece that the highly productive cell fabricates makes its way to this new servo- electric press brake. “Compared to the conventional hydraulic press brakes that I’m used to,” explains JST vice president of operations Mark Smith, “the quick setup, operating speed and quality from the electric press brake results in considerably greater productivity with reduced cycle times.”
Prima Power eP-series brakes also feature a rigid O-frame design to help ensure tool alignment even under stress deformation, as there is no horizontal displacement. The posi- tion of the upper beam, in relation to the lower beam, is measured by dual Y1 and Y2 linear encoders attached independently of the machine frame, and which are bed- referenced. This design, according to Prima Power, isolates ram-posi- tioning accuracy from any deflection in the side frames under load and maintains accurate positioning even during off-center bending opera- tions. Ram repeatability: ±0.005 mm.
“We’re able to combine small, seg- mented 100- or 200-mm dies to custom lengths, rather than handling larger dies, “Smith says, “which greatly reduces setup time compared to having to completely remove a large die sec-
tion and replace it with another die to accommodate a new setup. And, we get first-part quality...no scrapped parts with each setup. I’m used to throwing away the first part during every setup.
“Our new sheet metal fabrication equipment allows us to handle the low- volume production, the one-piece parts and all of the late engineering changes common to the switch-gear industry,” concludes Smith. “We designed our fab shop to handle the custom and quick-demand prototyping portion of our business. Every job we build is custom...no two are the same. We knew going in that we were not looking for high utilization and a quick return on investment. We wanted the capabilities. The machines also show very well. When customers visit our facility, they come away impressed.”
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