Page 40 - MetalForming January 2012

Tooling Technology
An empty Power Pallet is seen positioned on a stand in front of the press, level with the bolster. Using the Power Pallet, an operator simply pushes a button to initiate ballscrew- driven mechanism that moves the die into and out of the press; the die rides on a cush- ion of air.
The Die-Change Process
To enable the addition of the Power Pallets to its process, Steel-Craft posi- tioned a stand in front of each press level with the bolster. Using a forklift, a die with the Power Pallet attached is positioned on the stand and then, with the turn of a key and press of a button, is indexed via a ballscrew-driven mecha- nism into the press. The die rides on a cushion of air. As the line runs and the press does its thing, the Power Pallet awaits its next assignment—removal of the die—until the production run ends.
At the end of the run the die exits the press back onto the Power Pallet, and the setup is moved via forklift back to the die storage area. The forklift driver then picks up the next required die and Power Pallet and repeats the process—in as little as 15 min.
“Quicker, safer and significantly more productive with no manhandling of the dies,” is how Van Domselaar summarizes the new and0. improved die-change process. MF
Fact.
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