Page 47 - Metalorming Magazine January/February 2023

New Press Control Highlights Amada Press Presence
Amada Press System America Inc. displayed two direct-drive servo press- es, models SDE8018i3 and SDE1522i3, as well as a crank-motion press, the TP-60FX, its Orii LCC06HR3 automated feed system, and an MEC spring machine, model SH-8A. But highlight- ing the booth was the North American debut of the new i3 control system, enabling high accuracy forming with improved productivity, explained com- pany officials, and allowing direct con- nection to an automatic feed system for control of both the press and the feeder with one operator interface. In particular, the SDE8018i3 demonstra- tion showcased the ability to reduce noise on the production floor via spe- cial slide-motion programming. And, a Yaskawa cobot demonstrated how robotics can be partnered with the presses for loading and unloading of parts.
Amada Press System America Inc.: www.amadapresssystem.com
Beckwood Ushers in a
“New Era” in Press Technology
Beckwood leveraged the FABTECH technology stage to unveil its new prod- uct line, Beckwood LSP (linear servo press)—what the company refers to as a “new era of press technology offering a high degree of forming flexibility at production-level speeds without the use of hydraulic or mechanical flywheel
systems.” By reduc- ing the number of moving compo- nents required to gener- ate force, company officials explained, metal for- mers will experi- ence a
simplified design that allows for easy setup and troubleshooting, and zero maintenance for millions of cycles.
New to the press industry, the firm says, the patent-pending LSP line runs entirely on electricity and combines the flexibility of hydraulic presses with the performance of servomechanical presses. Because linear servo presses achieve full tonnage throughout the stroke, bottom-dead center (BDC) is eliminated. This means there is no ton- nage loss above BDC, and press ton- nage can be appropriately sized, result- ing in upfront cost savings.
On display at FABTECH: the model LSP-250-3660, which features 250 tons of force rated anywhere in the stroke via an all-electric actuation system with two linear servo actuators; and a 36 by 60-in. forming area. The press requires no crankshaft, counterbalance, fly- wheel, centralized lubrication or hydraulic power unit.
Beckwood Corp.: www.beckwoodpress.com
Bosch Rexroth Highlights Advanced Resistance Welding Control and Analytics Portfolio
Bosch Rexroth presented its PRC7000 family of adaptive resistance welding controls, along with updates on the company’s ctrlX Automation platform and information on its Weld Spot Analytics solution.
The PRC7000 system features a dual-processor architecture for process control and communications, enabling high data-transfer rates, MetalForming learned during a booth tour, without affecting the welding process control. This enables automotive manufactur- ers and others using high-throughput automated welding systems to benefit from the highest-quality weld control and faster, more user-friendly com- missioning.
We also took a look at the firm’s Weld Spot Analytics cloud-based Artificial Intelligence of Things solution for the automotive welding industry. It helps welding and quality engineers make faster, more accurate decisions about their process quality while avoiding
inefficiencies. Weld Spot Analytics fea- tures:
• Machine learning-based analytics (nugget-size prediction, for example)
• Centralized data collection and dashboarding of all welding data
• Faster reaction time, thanks to its Smart Notification Engine
• A modern user interface with a role-based authorization mechanism. Bosch Rexroth: www.boschrexroth-us.com
Cincinnati Inc. Joins the Cobot Party
Cobots were everywhere throughout FABTECH, including the booth of Cincinnati Inc., which debuted its
Cobotic 100T arc-welding cell, referred to as the first of its kind for gas-tung- sten-arc welding. Among key features identified during a booth tour: auto- matic safety doors, a robust and com- pact structure, an E-stop on both sides of the cell along with other integrated safety features including continuous robot-elbow monitoring and forklift or crane pickup points.
With a working range of 4 by 8 ft., the workcell suits large and small pro- duction batches. Explains Ryan Lem- mel, business unit leader, aftersales, describing the system’s advanced automation features:
“With a touchscreen control inter- face and intuitive programming but- tons, processes are quick and simple. We’ve eliminated complicated offline programming, allowing the robot to be programmed using a tablet and buttons on the torch. The 100T
44 MetalForming/January/February 2023
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