Page 38 - MetalForming April 2013

Servo Feed
“Its dual feed-roll setup and anti-backup rolls
do a great job of holding the material on every stroke, optimizing progression control and accuracy and preventing the material from backing up.”
they’re using the progression as a con- trolled dimension.”
Why so Tough?
Marko is quick to point out charac- teristics of the feeder that allow the blanking line to perform at such a high level.
“Its dual feed-roll setup and anti- backup rolls do a great job of holding the material on every stroke, optimiz- ing progression control and accuracy and preventing the material from back- ing up,” he says. “The AC drive also helps tighten progression tolerances, by providing better feedback to the drive system. Backed-up feed rolls prevent roll deflection, which we find particu- larly useful when processing thicker steels. And, the unit’s heavy-duty entry and exit adjustable edge guides allow us to guide the material without having to use tooling to guide the material. Most of the tools we run are pilotless.”
The feed line also includes an adjustable-height cabinet base with powered clamps, which allows for quick pass-line height adjustments during changeovers. “That feature fits right in with our quick-die-change initiatives,” says Marko.
Other QDC Enablers
“In addition to the quick pass-line- height adjustment on the CWP feed line, fast changeovers also result from use of automatic hydraulic die clamps (from Kosmek), the use of standard- ized subplates, and installation of loca- tor pins in the bolster plates of the presses. The Wintriss press control automatically downloads tool-setup parameters into the feeder, simplifying tool changes. Likewise, the precision shape-correction leveler includes a punch-and-go recipe from which we can select all jobs as well as create benchmarks for setup of new jobs.”
Durable and dependable feed lines shoulder much of the responsibility for Voss Clark’s customer satisfaction. Clearly its new blanking line has broad shoulders. MF
can yield from one to four blanks; most dies are three-out.
“Advancing such heavy material at a high rate of speed presented a real
challenge to the feed design. And, we have to maintain tight progression tolerances, since the blanks feed directly into the customer’s dies—

36 MetalForming/April 2013
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