Page 18 - MetalForming November 2022

with underground scrap conveyance along the entire length as well as a cen- tralized lubrication system (underlying the company’s commitment to recycling and sustainability), houses seven machines—all straightsides save for one gap-frame press—from 160 to 630 tons.
“When designing this facility prior to move-in, we had straightside mechanical presses to 400 tons, but included a pit for a 600-ton press, because we knew we’d need greater tonnage,” recalls Justin Slawek, Omex plant manager, who toured the oper- ation with MetalForming. “Originally, we planned to fill the pit with another mechanical straightside, but when we landed the second generation of a stamped-spindle seating component, we knew that only a 600-ton-range ser- vomechanical press would have the force and capability needed to produce it at the speed we needed. And, we are a forward-looking company, not shy about adopting the latest technology.”
Servos Allow Dialed-In Motion Profiles
In 2016, Omex bought its first ser- vomechanical press, a 630-ton direct- drive DSF-M2 model from Aida Amer- ica with 144-in. bed, along with a rear transfer system from Wayne Trail and an inhouse-developed bar feeder, to produce that spindle part. (See a video of the line in action in the online ver- sion of this article, at metalforming-
magazine.com.)
The servo press’s
longer stroke
allowed more
time for the trans-
fer automation to
do its work, as well as
the ability to create an optimized motion profile for the part. Omex also increased production speed by taking advantage of the press’s infinitely pro- grammable stroke and velocity profiles.
Omex incorporated
three speed segments into
the servo-flex motion pro-
file to produce the spindle:
one optimized for the
transfer, one optimized for
the forming portion of the
stroke and one set at max-
imum press speed to open
the die more rapidly. The
result: Omex improved part
quality, increased produc-
tion speed by more than
20 percent and reduced
scrap rate by 1.5 percent.
And, improved part-to-part dimensional capability on this press led to fewer process adjustments, with an increase in tool life of 15 percent as well as longer intervals between die maintenance.
The DSF-M2 features a proprietary
To ease tool changeout and switches to manual part handling, Omex designed a track system that allows simple reloca- tion of a Colt Automation press feed.
SERVOMECHANICAL PRESSES
The busy press bed on a new servome- chanical press (left) houses sensored tooling backed by a servo-driven transfer and servo tapping system to two-out pro- duce pickup-truck seatbelt housings.
Omex, in its 630-ton servomechanical press and with assistance from Aida America to set up the process, coil-feeds a two-out die that forms this seatbelt- housing part (below) and extrudes on vertical sides, then punches four tab holes on the horizontal. A servo-tapping unit then taps the two extruded holes. Integrated part transfer and the plug-in servo tapping operate off of press power and controls. Fully sensored, this job pro- duces 50,000 parts/week.
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