Page 26 - MetalForming March 2012

TOOLROOM TECHNOLOGY Oberg Retools to
“Give ‘em What They Want”
With a close eye on part volumes and complexity, Oberg is developing dies precisely aligned with what each project truly requires, in terms of die features and functionality. Meanwhile, toolroom technology has the company reaching new levels of throughput and productivity.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
Used to be that the dies designed and built by Oberg Industries, primarily for motor lamina- tions, were engineered to last for years and years, fortified to endure 100 to 200 million hits/yr. Oberg officials lov- ingly call those dies “Oberg dies,” in deference to their state-of-the-art design characteristics. We’re talking about die sections split and ground to ultra-fine finishes, spring strippers mounted on independent guide posts, carbide-tipped piloting, punches with runouts to promote long life, the use of high-end ball-bearing guide compo- nents and Meehanite cast-iron die sets.
Life changed for Oberg, Freeport,
Over the last 3 yr., Oberg has invested more than $10 million in new machining equip- ment, including the addition of special machining platforms that the firm has customized to perform its proprietary Molecular Decomposition Process (MDP), shown here. Dur- ing MDP, a cathode-anode relationship between the abrasive wheel and the workpiece enables stock removal as much as 80 percent faster than with conventional grinding.
24 MetalForming/March 2012
www.metalformingmagazine.com
PA, during the early part of the new century, as more and more of the firm’s stamping customers began to seek lower-cost tooling solutions. At the same time, its own stamping facilities began to diversify into new markets, beyond laminations—markets such as
medical, aerospace and military. In response, Oberg management decided to look for new ways to compete, and as a result, in 2007 it developed its Series I, II and III dies. It did so after adding 50,000 sq. ft. to its manufacturing facil- ity in Sarver, PA, built to provide addi-