Page 23 - MetalForming February 2010

QDC ROI, PDQ
operators with climbing up and around presses to install and manually adjust clamps is an accident waiting to happen, as is having workers pushing and pulling heavy dies in and out of the presses.
“Hydraulic clamps fixed to the press bolster and slide provide consistent clamping force, and won’t get mis- placed, lost or moved somewhere else so that your die-change team can’t find them,” stresses Drake. “And, these clamps can be set with a pushbutton control at the press main control panel. Same goes for magnetic clamps, which in addition provide a nice, clean bolster and slide to more readily accommo- date larger dies that encompass the entire press bed.”
While magnetic die clamping has long been accepted by injection-mold shops, metalformers just now are begin- ning to accept the technology as safe and efficient.
“It’s a leap of faith for many,” adds Drake.
Improved Safety Will Pay for Itself
Also providing a safer die-change environment for operators is use of powered die-transfer mechanisms on die carts and dedicated die-change tables, rather than relying on multi- tasking fork trucks or overhead cranes that might not always be available when your press operator or die-change team needs one.
“Die carts and custom-designed lift trucks for die handling can help ensure the press and die remain in perfect alignment during a die change—while removing one die and installing the next,” says Richardson. “And when mov- ing larger and heavier dies, carts and trucks can be equipped with power transfer mechanisms to relive opera- tors from having to push and pull the dies in and out.” Some die-handling trucks are even equipped with video cameras and monitors.
Die carts also can be designed to
handle both dies—the existing die being removed from the press and the new one being installed—in one handling, says Drake.
“We can develop a double-decker die cart, or a side-by-side setup,” he says, to allow an operator to pull one die off and set up a new die in one opera- tion, without any repositioning. You can’t do that with a fork truck or over- head crane, and lift trucks tend to cause a lot of damage around the shop.
“And yet another option is the use of dedicated change tables,” adds Drake: “Set them by the press and roll a die out of the press, move it over and ro.ll the new die in. These tables can be fixed by a specific press, or mounted on casters or on rails to move from press to press.
“Setup-reduction programs require continual attention and work,” sum- marizes Drake. “As you go you learn, and changeover time will continue to shrink—once you get started with the process, that is.” MF
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E-mail: sales@uniontoolcorp.com www.uniontoolcorp.com
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METALFORMING / FEBRUARY 2010 21