Page 18 - MetalForming July 2011

An Extreme Press Makeover
Magnets
provide a variety of press-line com- mands, including signaling the feed when to begin during the press upstroke, signaling the feed roll to lift near bot- tom of stroke (to allow strip piloting), and timing of outputs to die-lubricant injectors. The PLSs also ensure that the magnetic die-clamping system releases the tool only when the press is near the bottom of its stroke, for safety reasons.
In addition, the control boasts 16 channels of die protection. Here, oper- ator-programmable inputs monitor a variety of sensors in the tooling as well as those used to monitor the feed line and other auxiliary equipment. End-of-stock sensors and sensors that monitor the scrap system (as previously noted) can prevent hours of downtime and crashes.
Tonnage monitors mounted to the press frame gauge the tonnage being exerted on all four columns of the press, displaying the information numerically and graphically in con- cert with ram position. Out-of-toler- ance tonnage conditions will cause the
The addition of magnetic die clamping to helping helped trigger a reduction in setup time from 2 hr. to as little as 20 min., resulting in a 30-percent gain in press availability.
monitor to stop the press. And, the operator can review tonnage trends to prevent parts with quality issues from getting to customers, and even pre- vent major tooling and press damage. In some cases, they have made tooling adjustments—staggering punches, for example—to reduce tonnage and/or snapthrough forces.
In addition, the press control’s var-
ious inputs and outputs monitor and control everything electrical on the press. If any machine subsystem asserts a fault to stop the press, the control displays a message matching the fault, easing operator troubleshooting. This diagnostic feature allows any fault, such as a low lube level or a safety device detecting an unsafe condition, to be displayed in plain language. MF
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16 MetalForming/July 2011
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