Page 20 - MetalForming February 2016

(on Sutherland’s I-Press controls) are resulting in faster setups, improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and more timely troubleshooting.”
Asked to pinpoint the most sellable feature of newer press controls, Suther- land insists, “it’s their intuitiveness and fully multilingual displays, critical capabilities in today’s market.”
At FABTECH, Sutherland introduced its new I-Press AB Plus control, kicking its I-Press control, introduced in 2011, up a notch. While the standard I-Press, says Sutherland, introduced a 7-in. color screen, two die-protection cir- cuits and the ability to manage com- pletely automated operations to avoid the need for third-party controls, the AB Plus model (with all Allen Bradley hardware and software) makes it the company’s most flexible control to date.
“The freedom of using the Allen Bradley architecture,” he says, “offers the ultimate in scalability. It lets customers grow in any direction they want—extra die protection or tonnage monitoring, for example. We program all of these ‘feature sets’ into every AB Plus model, and password-protect them. Then, if a customer wants to add the feature sets later, we only have to give them the passwords to the particular features they want.”
Safety PLCs All the Rage
Next up for the I-Press, shares Sutherland, is integrated safety using a safety PLC rather than the traditional cross-wired two-processor (primary and redundant) architecture. This move was echoed by others displaying new press controls at FABTECH.
“Safety PLCs in press controls are coming,” says Mark Heitbrink, elec- trical engineering manager at Nidec Minster. The firm showcased its new servo-press controls at FABTECH alongside its new servo-mechanical press. Such PLCs, with redundant and self-checking processors, provide I/O and communications capabilities so that, without having to use independ- ent safety relays, any hardware or soft- ware failure will not “knock out” the entire control system. There’s less hard-
The amount of information made avail- able to press operators by modern press controls is nothing short of stunning, as evidenced by these display screens from the Sutherland I-Press. Shown here, from top to bottom: the main run screen, job memory screen, programmable cam status and die-protection status.
ware required, less wiring, and less panel space needed.
“We already use safety PLCs in our servo-press control,” says Heitbrink, “as a necessity since the Siemens drive system on the servo presses employs a safety PLC. The safety PLC is required in the press control in order to commu- nicate with the drive control and meet the safety standards.”
Among relatively newer control fea- tures being offered to stampers, Heit- brink points to Ethernet connectivity, built-in VPN (virtual private network) communication and, as Sutherland notes, control of overall system ele- ments including conveyors and die clamping.
A Lot More to Discuss Related to Servo Press Controls
But, Heitbrink adds, there’s a lot more to talk about when it comes to servo-press control. “We’re offering stampers the ability to customize motion profiles,” he says, “compared to controls that only allow for out-of- the-box motion profiles. We have cus- tomers, for example, using the press control to develop custom force-motion profiles for unique coining, double-hit and pendulum-motion applications.”
Servo-press controls also took cen- ter stage at the Komatsu booth at FABTECH, where company vice presi- dent Jim Landowski told me:
“We always had die-height control using linear scales to feedback actual slide-face to bolster-top position. This allowed the press control to make real- time adjustments to hold die height to within 20 microns of the programmed setting. Now we’ve added tonnage con- trol. Using the strain-gauge output, we can maintain tonnage to within percent of the programmed setting, by having the press control direct on-the-fly slide adjustments to raise or lower the die height.”
What’s next? “We’re developing the ability to make these die-height or die- cushion adjustments based on varia- tions in material thickness or hard- ness,” Landowski shares. “We expect that the stamper will be able to set up equipment to measure such variables before the material enters the die. For tandem lines, the press control will oversee the required changes in shut height at each of the presses as the part transfers down the line.”
The 19-in. Touchscreen
...at the Aida booth received plenty of attention at FABTECH. The display
18 MetalForming/February 2016
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