Page 29 - MetalForming March 2015

just a stroke counter, but a good-parts counter, as press controls can oversee the inspection station. Sensors on the throat of a chute can identify charac- teristics of good parts, and control where the part, good or bad, ends up. Thanks to controls, metalformers now have ways to confirm good parts and report exactly why the parts are good.”
Controls Mind the Materials
Press controls can assess coil enter- ing the press and, via servo and stepper motors, automatically adjust wedges in the die to account for occurrences of thicker material. This capability assists as metalformers increasingly specify tapered coil, where thickness is varied intentionally on certain areas of the strip, reports Phillips.
Automotive trends toward weight reduction and vehicle safety make it more economical when producing in high part volume to move away from secondary welding of stiffening mate- rial to increase rigidity. With more cus- tomized material finding its way to the shopfloor, more will be demanded of press cells and their controls.
Customers Driving Flexibility
Automotive, aerospace, appliance and other sectors demand that their suppliers meet higher standards.
“Customers want to know what process controls are in place and how you can guarantee part quality,” con- cludes Phillips, hinting again at the future of press controls. “Your quality control can’t be someone standing at the end of the press line with a flash- light looking for bad parts. Increasingly, customers require automated quality control not open to human interpreta- tion. That means more inspection per- formed within the press or surrounding cell, along with the required control. Even if inspection may not be an actu- al in-press operation, the press will be doing the reporting.”
Today, controls can set, run, correct and report across the entire cell, and will do more as customer expectations continue to rise. MF
XU2TM Spinning Rollers for Metal Forming
IT’S A GREAT REFLECTION ON YOU!
XU2 ADVANTAGES
Lower total cost of use Reduced post-spin buffing Reduced spin lines Extreme long life
Less downtime
MARKETS
Lighting Aerospace Medical Auto Industrial
We’ve developed a long-lasting nonmetallic spinning wheel for the metal forming industry. And we’ve set a new standard for polished reflective finishes with minimal spin lines. XU2 Spinning Rollers from Boedeker Plastics utilize PBI polymer to reduce the time it takes to form and machine polish.
Developed in conjunction with PBI Performance Products, XU2 Spinning Rollers from Boedeker Plastics enhance your product quality and outlast other nonmetallic rollers.
Xtremespinningwheels.com • 361-401-7231
904 W. Sixth St., Shiner, TX 77984
Don’t get caught behind the 8 ball
Have you been wanting extra copies of an article pub- lished in MetalForming for your own promotional efforts— trade shows, meetings, mailings, etc ?
Reprints are cost effective and will produce a high- quality piece of literature for your particular needs.
We do all the work, and you’ll have your reprints in three weeks—all at a surprisingly low cost !
Call Sue Cubranich at 216-901-8800/scubranich@pma.org for full details.
www.metalformingmagazine.com
MetalForming/March 2015 27