Page 14 - MetalForming December 2015

Reduce the Footprint,
Flatten and Feed
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
Ducker Research predicts that use of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) for automotive body and closure applications will nearly double by 2025. These higher yield- and tensile-strength steels allow automakers to maintain structural integrity while using a lighter-gauge material to reduce weight. However, processing AHSS grades continues to challenge stampers, including how to feed them into presses.
Listen to the Customer
For the past few years, representa- tives from Coe Press Equipment have spent significant time meeting with customers to understand their needs and identify gaps in current product offerings, especially in terms of pro- cessing AHSS grades. Case in point: Nahanni Steel Products, Brampton, Ontario, Canada, a metal stamper with
With a new solution in place for feeding high-strength steels, metalformer Nahanni Steel Products notes improved safety, processing times and quality, and reduced setup times.
Nahanni Steel Products’ new compact coil line (a Coe SpaceMaster Series 4) unwinds, straightens and feeds coil stock in yield strengths to 1000 MPa at speeds to 60-70 strokes/min, within 23 ft. of floor space. Key to the design is its unique approach to pilot release. Shown in the insert photo: Powered coil guides that feature a tapered roll design for effective coil guiding of higher-yield materials.
12 MetalForming/December 2015
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12 press lines ranging from 60 to 800 tons. Nahanni, a Tier Two automotive supplier that has been expanding into other industries and product lines, has faced a set of unique challenges. In addition to processing thinner-gauge higher-strength materials, it also must stamp a diverse product mix, while fac- ing a cost premium on floor space and increasing safety requirements. Says general manager Sebastijan Zupanec:
“The move to higher-yield, higher- tensile material requires higher loads, which were really beating up our feed lines as well as our tooling. We were required to run these materials on larg- er equipment than we normally would use, which reduced our efficiencies.”
With these higher-strength materi- als also comes safety concerns. Notes Coe sales representative Mike Foster:
“When you’re dealing with the high-