Page 30 - MetalForming July 2009

Tooling Technology
Troubleshooting
Keep your in-die fastening equipment in tip-top shape by paying close attention to four major areas: the fasteners, the feed system, the in-die tools (sometimes referred to as insertion heads) and the control system.
BY ROGER PATTON
Mechanical fasteners certainly have arrived as an attachment method of choice for sheetmetal assem- blies, largely due to the many benefits the hardware can deliver before, during and after production. In the stamping industry, nuts and studs are common, and recent advances to in-die fastening technology have made an even stronger and more practical case for the use of mechanical fasteners.
In-die fastening clearly can boost productivity when compared to other fastener-installation methods that
Roger Patton is engineering manager for Pemserter Products at PennEngineering, Danboro, PA: tel. 215-766-8853, www.pemnet.com.
The dimensional characteristics of the fasteners usually are the most important parameters affecting proper operation of an in-die fastening system. As with all manufactured parts, fastener tolerances are critical—the in-die system must be able to accommodate the largest possible dimensions without allowing fasteners in the smallest dimensions to jam. Jamming typically results from dimensional changes to the fastener, as well as worn components such as feed rails and the shuttle.
require secondary opera-
tions. As with any opera-
tion, however, potential
risks can loom—prima-
rily loss of production or
poor quality. The good
news: Both of these
potential problems with
in-die fastening opera-
tions can readily be addressed and mitigated with proper troubleshooting techniques.
labor, which in most cases represents the bulk of the labor content related to fastening.
Additional savings flow from reduced work in progress—in most cases, sec- ondary operations run at a much slow- er pace than does stamping. Stampers run stockpiles of parts from the die, which then sit in queue waiting for fas- tener processing.
Why Try In-Die Fastening?
Stampers dedicated to in-die fas- tener installation enjoy a reduction in labor and related costs. Combining the stamping operation with fastener inser- tion eliminates the need for secondary
28 METALFORMING / SPECIAL ONLINE-ONLY ISSUE 2009
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