Page 32 - MetalForming August 2012

Servo-Drive Presses
with more agility and in a more timely manner, given the unknowns regarding what the customer may need down the road? We’re addressing today’s applica- tions, but what’s coming?”
Remove the Word ‘Unformable’ from your Vocabulary
For many, what’s coming is already here.
“Some stampers are solving some
previously unsolvable application problems thanks to the flexibility afforded by servo-drive presses,” says Jim Finnerty, product manager for Win- triss Controls LLC. “They’re forming materials once considered unformable, and making a lot of money as a result.
“We’re seeing applications being developed where secondary operations are now being done under the ram,” Finnerty continues, “since different
Brawn.
Dallas Press Feeding Equipment lasts and lasts for many years because we design and build everything to handle more than the specified material. In simple words, when you buy a Dallas line you buy it fully equipped with heavy gauge materials and without the need to add a lot of options. And, because Dallas machines are built to last, we can easily upgrade them with the latest control packages, upgrading the Brains... without a lot of work on the Brawn.
Standard Equipment & Complete Systems
portions of the forming cycle require different ram velocities—possible with servo presses. And we’re seeing servo- press applications where stampers are using the technology to vary the cam timing action to very creatively per- form work on the sides of parts.”
Conventional timing methods used for flywheel/clutch-driven mechani- cal presses, where everything happens in a repetitive cycle through a com- plete revolution, will not work with servo presses. The activities in the press cell—feed, part off, etc.—all happen in a repetitive cycle with a conven- tional press, but with a servo press this might not happen.
“As a result, we only want to activate timing outputs at certain stages,” says Finnerty, “and activate or monitor sen- sor inputs at other stages. So, for exam- ple, we may only feed the first stage of the cycle, activate cutoff on the last stroke and look for part ejection on the final stage.”
Three Basic Uses, Three Control Modes
Finnerty observes that stampers are using servo-drive presses in three dif- ferent ways: Either they bought the press to:
• Make it act like several different presses—short-stroke high-speed, longer-stroke slower-speed or some combination. Versatile but conven- tional.
• Use it like a hydraulic press; or
• Take full advantage of flexibility and variable programmability.
Due to this wide ranging application of servo presses among metalformers, Wintriss developed the SmartPac 2 Servo edition. While the traditional edi- tion of the press control is resolver based—“we drive a resolver with the crankshaft, and run our timing off of that,” Finnerty says—with a servo press that approach won’t work. In place of the resolver, then, is a precision linear sensor used to monitor ram position throughout each stroke. This allows the control to operate in any of three selectable built-in motion curves, designed to accommodate the three
Brains.
DallaSmartTM controls minimize electrical and mechanical stress on equipment and material. Whether you are buying new or upgrading existing equipment, they allow you to operate at higher speeds, run larger parts, eliminate surface damage, reduce wear and tear on equipment and material. ProfileSelectTM, our newest offering is ideal for delicate material and progressive die work. The control uses a sinusoidal motion that utilizes 100 percent of the press-feed window.
DallaSmartTM Controls
• ProfileSelectTM Servo Feed Controls
• Replacement Control Upgrades
• Laser Coil Positioning with Readout
• Automatic Reel Brake Controls
• Synchronized Controls of Complete Lines • Name Brand Drive Controls
• Press and Feed Line Integration
• Communication Integration
50,000lb x .135 x 72 wide HSLA
dallasindustries.com 248.583.9400
• Servo Feeds
• Press Feed Lines
• SpaceSaverTM Feed Lines • Straighteners-Powered • Straighteners-Pull Thru • Cradle Systems
• Reel Systems
• Air Feeds
30,000lb x 1⁄2 x 20 wide HSLA
1962-2012
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MetalForming/August 2012
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