Page 23 - MetalForming October 2013

“Starting in 2008, the company com- mitted to becoming more integrated and to bringing more processes under roof,” says Sigler. “We source millions of stampings per year from six suppliers, down from 15 suppliers just a few years ago, and our two press lines provide only about 10 percent of our needs. The plan, though, is to definitely continue to grow our inhouse stamping capabilities.”
Servo-Press Duo
The small yet productive high-bay pressroom deep within the confines of the Hi-Lex plant, and surrounded by some 20 window-regulator assembly lines, is home to two servo-drive press- es—a 300-ton Komatsu installed in 2009, and a 600-ton Aida added early in 2010. The firm assembles some 48 dif- ferent styles of window regulators, as well as complete door modules.
“We started small, with the 300-ton press,” says Sigler, “to stamp smaller brackets and such. And we’re com- pletely sold on the benefits of this state- of-the-art press technology—better quality and process repeatability, higher throughput, and flexibility. We’re run- ning about 50 dies in our pressroom now, and 40 of them run on the 300-ton press. And more than one-third of the tools feature in-die fastener insertion.”
The remaining 10 dies stamp rails— two per window regulator—and require large, complex progressive dies. A two- out tool averages 150 to 155 in. long, Sigler says, comprising as many as 18 stations. For these complex jobs the firm brought in the custom 600-ton Aida press, built with a 168-in.-long bed.
Helping the pressroom squeeze the most throughput from its newest press is a new space-saving feed line, from CHS Automation, Roseville, MI.
Simplified Roll Cleaning, for the Switch from Steel to Aluminum
“One of our challenges in the press- room is dealing with the growing pop- ularity of aluminum window-regula- tor rails,” Sigler says. “Today, 70 percent of our volume is galvanized, the rest aluminum. But by mid-2014 we expect
that ratio to flip. For example, one of our newest and largest programs uses aluminum rails.”
While regulator rails are not Class A cosmetic parts, surface finish is a critical parameter, to minimize noise and help ensure smooth window operation. Switching the 600-ton press line over from stamping steel to stamping alu- minum requires cleaning the rolls on the coil line’s pull-through straightener.
“That cleaning process can take 15 min. on a standard feeder,” Sigler says.
To avoid this unproductive down- time, Sigler worked with CHS to devel- op a high-lift piloting head to ease roll cleaning. “We can get the feed line cleaned and ready for aluminum in 5 min. or less,” he says.
The 20,000-lb. by 36-in.-wide CHS feed line also features a motorized coil reel and traveling load car, with 72-in.
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