Page 21 - MetalForming August 2015

A reader head installed on the throat plate of the press uses RFID technology to identify die halves and ensure a match.
the heat associated with part drawing. In addition, these tags store die information that can be used to schedule preventive maintenance.
Proper Press Settings from Run to Run
Greenerd also developed a program that allowed each die to be viewed with an RFID reader located on the throat plate of the press. The RFID system sends the die information directly to the control, which calls up the correct program for that particular part run and inputs the proper press settings. A job doesn’t run until the control has read the dies and determined that the die halves match.
The upgrade also included installa- tion of a pressure and linear transduc- er, enabling control of stroke depth and tonnage via the touchscreen. Recipes via these readings then can be stored for future access, ensuring prop- er settings job after job.
Preventive Maintenance Assured
The upgrade also programmed pre- ventive maintenance for each die. The metalformer simply inputs the infor- mation necessary for each individual die when setting up the die for the first time. With knowledge on approx- imately how many strokes can be run on a die before it needs rework, the metalformer programs in the desired number of cycles. The touchscreen warns the user as that cycle number approaches, and then automatically disables press cycling at that number. To prevent continued production using the die, setup personnel must log in and manually override the stop- page. This password-protected fea- ture ensures die health.
When production ends, the touch- screen displays the total number of cycles run using the die, and stores this information. It also notifies per- sonnel of the number of useable cycles
The control touchscreen provides a wealth of job information. Note identifi- cation of the die halves on the right of the display. This information is read and fed into the control, which then calls up the proper job settings given those par- ticular tools. The information also allows tracking of die usage and prompts for preventive maintenance.
left on that tool—a low number triggers personnel to remove the die for service. Following maintenance, the control resets the cycle count for that die to zero.
Control Upgrade Brings Dramatic Improvement
Summarizing, the extensive control upgrade allowed the metalformer to:
• Accurately control how many cycles are run on each of the dies and cue per- sonnel to perform preventive mainte- nance, minimizing the chances of a die problem during a production run;
• Eliminate the possibility of mis- matched upper and lower dies, dra- matically reducing die maintenance/ repair costs; and
• Ensure part production using the same press parameters from one run to the next, establishing guaranteed con- tinuity in how the parts are produced and providing assurances that vari- ables in the production process remain under control. MF
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