Page 38 - MetalForming January 2013

Tooling Technology
Press Line
With smaller lot sizes a necessi- ty due to a quest for just-in- time manufacturing, Miller Electric Mfg. Co. sought a way to stamp small-lot parts and, at the same time, keep its equipment running to meet demand from increasing sales. The best way to do that, reasoned company engineers: Increase press speed while reducing setup time.
In August 2012, the welding-equip- ment manufacturer found its solution: a new press line, spearheaded by stamping-system integrator TCR, Wis- consin Rapids, WI. Anchored by an Aida 400-ton mechanical press, the line, installed at the firm’s plant in Appleton, WI, oozes efficiencies that enable minimal pause from last good part to first good part.
Replaces Older, Slower Hydraulic Press
Miller previously ran work on a hydraulic press at speeds averaging 12 strokes/min. Those jobs, transferred to the new line, now run at speeds from 20 to 60 strokes/min. The new press line handles aluminum and cold-rolled steel from 0.030 to 0.156 in. thick. The large 120- by 59-in. press bed allows use of more-complex progressive dies, thus accepting a greater number than the 70 jobs now scheduled on the line.
Miller had been considering a new line since the late-1990s, according to TCR’s Todd Wenzel, with the project proceeding in earnest early in 2011 as increased sales moved the project from back-burner interest to an immediate need.
“We worked with Miller, looking at how far to take technology for setup- time reduction from mild to wild,” says Wenzel. “We reached a balance and cre- ated an efficient, profitable production system that met the company’s needs.”
Addresses Setup-Time
Reduction Start to Finish
A new mechanical-press line, tasked with a multitude of low-volume job runs, incorporates time savers from one end to the other, bringing faster job setup, top-notch mistake-proofing and much-improved productivity.
BY LOUIS A. KREN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
36 MetalForming/January 2013
www.metalformingmagazine.com
Reducing setup time on Miller’s new press line means more than just addressing the die area. The line’s 400-ton mechanical press features a master operator station suspended from the press-mounted track, allowing it to move across the line with the operator to eliminate travel time for the operator during job setup and press operation. Displays and pushbuttons for all line operations reside on the portable station, freeing floor space to further ease setup and line operation.
Coil Line Boasts Efficiencies
Reducing setup time on a press line means more than just addressing the die area. In this case, setup-time reduc- tion drove innovation throughout the entire line, beginning with coil delivery and material feed.
Coe Press Equipment Corp., Ster- ling Heights, MI, supplied coil-han-
dling equipment for the new line. Setup-reduction efforts began right at the start, with a coil car used to stage material for the next job. Powered coil guides also bring setup ease. Tradi- tional coil lines, according to Wenzel, feature coil-guide arms—nearly always six—that must be positioned manual- ly. Setup includes lifting the arms,