Page 40 - MetalForming February 2012

Tooling Technology
The journey to
lean, efficient die
development and
assembly has been
challenging yet
extremely rewarding,
Darling summarizes.
“And it’s come thanks to
a team of engineers and
shop employees commit-
ted to working through
some intensive struggles,”
he says. “Not to mention the commitment of our suppli-
ers to accept our standards
and immerse their employ-
ees in our training.” It also
has led to a machining-tech-
nology evolution the company could never have envisioned just 5 short years ago, when its inventory of CNC equipment largely was comprised of machines installed in the mid-1980s.
“In 2006, the big elephant in the room was,” continues Darling, “if we plan to modernize the facility and
Another example of the scope of the dies developed at Autodie: a fully tool pathed draw die. The firm’s lean-development efforts have taken a staggering number of hours out of the process, critical when you’re talk- ing about a shop that averages 500,000 labor hours per year.
increase cutting speed by, say a factor of five to 10 times, we had bet- ter be sure that what’s going onto the mills is perfect. And
great
lot of scrap, very quickly.”
Now the company is comfortable
knowing that upgrading its CNC equipment, in concert with improving
the accuracy and reliability of its development process, will fuel its con- tinued growth in terms of its customer base, capacity, and revenues and prof- itability.
“Early in 2011 we announced a 2-yr. capital plan to invest $24 million in new CNC equipment,” shares Darling, “and we’re well on our way to making that happen. Among our new addi- tions are three 3.5- by 6-m bridge mills equipped with 20,000-RPM heads and that cut at 15 m/min., and two mid- sized horizontal machining centers also rated to cut at 15 m/min., with spindle speeds of 20,000 RPM.
“After it’s all said and done, by the end of this year, if we’re as fast and accurate as I believe we can be, we expect to be able to compete abroad and ship dies offshore.” MF
where made strides. Our big fear was if we were to modernize the shop without this upfront improve- ment, making mistakes at 1 m/min. would be nothing compared to the severity of making mistakes at 15 m/min. All we’d be doing is making a
that’s we’ve
Ask the Expert
These brief informational tidbits allow readers to learn from those who have the answers. If you’d like to see your technical question addressed here, please e-mail the editor: bkuvin@pma.org.
Lubrication
Ray LaMantia, President LSP Industries, Inc.
Q:I want to lubricate coil stock with a roller coater but have a prob-
lem station that requires more lubricant than I am able to supply with the roller coater.
A:To get additional lubricant to the problem station an airless spray
lubricator should be employed. Use a roller coater with a controller and pump that meters the lubricant to the rolls. To get additional lubricant to the trouble station
it is a simple process to tie a spray nozzle into the roller coater system and program it to dispense lubricant as needed. This will economically solve the trouble station problem and can then be turned off when switching to dies that do not need addi- tional lubricant. www.LSPInd.com
Punching
Gordy Straka, Assistant Manager Specials Wilson Tool
Q:I am having trouble with sheet distortion using a cluster tool on
our thick turret punch press. Is there anything that can be done?
A:Sheet distortion can cause rejec- tions, multiple operations or scrap if a corner catches the upper turret and folds
up. There are a number of ways to deal with distortion when using a cluster punch. Distortion can be controlled somewhat by some or all of the following methods:
1) Fine tuning your punching pattern— consider a random punch pattern rather than sequential.
2) Make sure the tooling is sharp.
3) Back bend the sheet between the die and stripper to reduce distortion by 30 to 80 percent. Consult your sales engineer for other solutions to distortion problems.
www.wilsontool.com
Servo Presses
George Schreck Product manager Komatsu America Industries LLC
Q:How can a servo press increase part quality and customer
satisfaction?
A:Both depend on the stamping process, and a servo press, the tool-
ing, and any inspection or automation equipment must work together to ensure precision. Standard performance features on Komatsu servo presses include digital control of all slide motions (stroke, speed and dwell); at least twice the working ener- gy of a flywheel mechanical press; and pro- grammable, repeatable accuracy measured in microns. www.komatsupress.com
38 MetalForming/February 2012
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