Page 18 - MetalForming July/August 2009

Ignoring Conveyor PM
Stampers are advised to develop a
conveyor preventive-maintenance
program encompassing regularly
scheduled inspection and lubrication.
Preplanning for service and parts saves time and money and ensures
that critical maintenance items will not be subject to budget-slashing routines.
BY SCOTT CLARK
Keeping your scrap conveyors run- ning efficiently is crucial to main- taining profitable production in any metalforming operation. Yet, scrap han- dling is easy to ignore. It’s not glam- orous and in many cases it is not even readily visible, as many stamping plants now employ systems installed under the floor. But if a conveyor goes down,
Scott Clark is manager, aftermarket, Mayfran International, Cleveland, OH; 440/462-4100, www.mayfran.com.
production may be hobbled, and a river of red ink can begin to flow.
In many metalforming facilities, press lines are interlocked to a main scrap conveyor, and if that main con- veyor goes down the press lines auto- matically shut down as well. Even with- out interlocks, a conveyor shutdown will eventually lead to press downtime. Consider the typical JIT manufacturing scenario in the automotive industry. Should scrap backup cause a body- panel stamping operation to shut down
during the morning shift, within 24 hr. the welding lines would likely go down, and then, shortly thereafter, final assem- bly would cease.
Additionally, excess scrap in stamp- ing and forming operations can affect operator safety, while also putting tools, dies and other equipment at risk.
Imagine Losing $26,000/Min.
The dangers described above are not just hypothetical, as one auto manu- facturer with integrated stamping in its main assembly facility can attest. The manufacturer, whose main scrap conveyor crashed and stayed down for two shifts, lost all vehicle production for one shift—it typically operates at a pro- duction rate of two vehicles/min. Add to that the cost of the plant’s payroll of $26,000/min. and suddenly maintaining the health of the humble scrap convey- or becomes a critical function.
Keeping scrap conveyors running efficiently starts with conveyor design, which presents an opportunity for new
Regularly scheduled PM sessions provide opportunities for the service provider to train the plant’s personnel in the essentials of conveyor maintenance. This encourages the metalformer to take ownership of its conveying equip- ment, and will dramatically reduce the possibility of unplanned downtime.
16 METALFORMING / JULY/AUGUST 2009
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