Page 24 - MetalForming May 2009

Compact Feed Lines
help peel it away from the mandrel, and the threading table pivots up and down to assist in safely moving the coil under the straightening rolls. Also, a coil-break arm on the straightener can help back-break the leading coil edge, if needed.
3) Some compact straightener-feed- er heads include a closed-loop measur- ing wheel that provides feedback to the controller to indicate actual movement of the material, not just roll rotation. This proves useful, for example, should a slug get picked up in the die and the feed rolls slip on the material. Without closed-loop feedback from the measur- ing wheel, the feeder controller would think that the move had been made, and the die might become damaged. But with closed-loop feedback, the emer- gency stop can be engaged to prevent die damage.
4) Straightener-roll depth setting. Some machines will only offer mechan- ical adjustment and dial/pointer indi- cators for setting roll depth. Others will
offer hydraulic motors to make these adjustments, particularly popular with stampers forming thicker, stronger materials. These settings can be saved in memory and the actual settings digitally displayed at the control panel.
5) Material guiding. This feature ensures that material feeds squarely through the straightener. Higher-qual- ity machines will have entry and exit guide rolls, and automated versions of certain machines employ motorized rolls with settings saved for each job.
6) Pass-line height adjustment can be accomplished manually with a crank handle and jack screws—requiring quite an amount of arm power. Or, higher- end machines have hydraulic pass-line adjustment accomplished with the turn of a switch. This parameter can be saved in the control when using automated compact lines.
Machine Construction
Overall machine construction com- prises the last piece of the puzzle. Some
so-called compact lines actually com- bine servo-roll feeds with a nonpowered pull-through straightener and a separate reel or cradle. This, to me, does not constitute a true compact line.
A compact line should consist of one piece of equipment with a com- mon base that integrates all of the feed-line components. This design eliminates the chance of misalign- ment and the need to anchor separate pieces of equipment. It also allows the stamper to move the entire machine as one piece, if needed. Also, some compact-line designs contain all of the electrical wiring and hydraulic lines within the chassis of the com- mon base. This eliminates the chance for damage to the lines by forklifts, die carts, etc.
These systems are not just for small coils, either. Machines are offered in capacities to 72 in. wide for sheetmetal to 0.625 in. thick. And, stampers also can obtain compact feeder-straighten- er-reel zig-zag feed lines. MF
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22 METALFORMING / MAY 2009
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