Page 8 - MetalForming January 2010

TechUpdate
Next-Gen Direct-Transfer Press-Feed System
Unveiled at the METALFORM area of the Fabtech show in November was the Value Series cut-to-length (CTL) lines and a next-generation transfer-press feed system from Coe Press Equipment Co., Sterling Heights, MI. The firm’s new CTL lines feature the new RG-series high-speed hydraulic shear and the new combination finger-magnetic drop stackers. The lines process material from 18 to 72 in. wide and 0.020 to 0.375 in. thick, in coil weights from 6000 to 60,000 lb.
The next-gen transfer-press feed system described by booth staffers at the show includes a fully integrated compact coil line that combines the functions of uncoil- ing, straightening and feeding; an oscillating shear press that produces square-cut and trap-cut blanks; a multiple-station blank destacker for feeding developed shaped blanks; and a fully programmable servo-driven conveyor system to index and position blanks within a transfer press.
Coe Press Equipment Corp.: 586/979-4400; www.cpec.com
Cleaning System Tackles Challenging Airbag Components
K.S. of West Virginia Co., Ltd., (KSWV), Ravenswood, WV, stamps the small, pre- cision airbag-inflator bracket parts used in several Japanese automobiles, as well as other small parts including antilock-brake hub seals, oxygen sensor parts and seat parts. A recent airbag-components job has the supplier meeting very stringent clean- liness requirements—no rust is tolerated, and all stamping lubricant as the resid-
ual carbon created from the friction of the stamping process must be removed prior to assembly.
When the OEM recommended that the parts be cleaned in a hydrocarbon-type system rather than the aqueous system used by KSWV, the firm opted to purchase a Durr Ecoclean (Wixom, MI) Universal 81C hydrocarbon wash system, as well as a hydrocarbon dip tank from another manufacturer. The 81C features a pres- surized self-contained closed-loop system that recycles the hydrocarbon solution. Since cleaning and drying processes occur in a work chamber under vacuum, heat- ing energy is conserved while minimizing vapor loss, emissions and humidity issues. Heat recovery throughout the entire process helps reduce energy input, min- imizing energy costs and CO2 emissions.
In addition to removing stamping oil and carbon from stamped parts, the Universal 81C prevents rust from occur- ring on parts after cleaning. KSWV officials
6 METALFORMING / JANUARY 2010
www.metalformingmagazine.com