Page 24 - MetalForming January 2017

Automated Press-Brake Technology
apply forming tools such as counter- sinks, make threaded tapped holes or other special features, and use the laser to cut holes and part peripheries. Rosenthal explains that it is equipped with a picker-loader system that has eliminated the handling of scrap blanks and, more importantly, shakeout, a secondary process of removing parts from the nest and transferring them to a skid for the next operation. The picker pulls parts from the nest and places them on a skid located in the material-storage tower.
“The punch-laser machine,” says Rosenthal, “has replaced three stand- alone turret presses and dramatically reduced labor requirements. The reduction in setup times, the process- ing speed of the machine and the auto- mated part-handling system have com- bined to decrease our run rates, yielding an overall processing-time reduction of 46 percent.”
Automatic Tool Change Yields 3-min. Setups
Similar productivity gains have been realized with the ATC press brakes. Rated to provide 110 tons of bending force and with a 9.8-in. stroke and 122.44-in. maximum bending length, they came equipped with 84 ft. of tooling. “These machines have forever changed our vision when it comes to forming parts,” says Rosen- thal. “The standard setup time on a conventional press brake averages 35 min., compared to 3 min. on the HG machines. That’s a reduction of 91 per- cent. Data from our first month of run-
Along with its new automated press brakes came this innovative punch- laser combination machine, with a sheet-storage tower and automated part sorter, which Du Fresne’s Rosen- thal credits with dramatically chang- ing the way parts are processed. While a standard turret press that uses an average of 15 to 20 tools per job would take approximately 70 min. to set up, operators can set up the new combination machine, using a standard tool package, in about 25 min., a 64-percent reduction.
Automatic tool-change capacity on the Model 1003 press brake is 86.6 ft., with 15 punch stockers and 18 die stockers. On-board tool storage has contributed to a 214-percent increase in the number of jobs completed at Du Fresne, including setup and run.
ning the brakes showed a 214-percent increase in the number of jobs com- pleted, including setup and run.”
Amada describes the HG ATC machine as “an ideal solution for vari- able lot sizes and complex tool layouts. The tool changer can load the most complex tool layout within 3 min., and allows operators of varied experience levels to efficiently use the system. Quick tool setups give users the ability to introduce rush jobs seamlessly.”
ATC capacity on the Model 1003 press brake is 86.6 ft., with 15 punch stockers and 18 die stockers. Amada also offers the ATC on its HG 2204 press brake, with 112.8 ft. of tool capacity, 18 punch stockers and 25 die stockers.
The HG-series press brakes are servo-hydraulic models designed to optimize cycle times, via fast approach, bending and return speeds. Ram posi- tioning and repeatability are ±0.00004
in., and to facilitate quick setup of multistage part-bend sequences, oper- ators appreciate the programmable ram-tiling capability as well as the brake’s 50-percent off-center bending capacity. Other features include dynamic hydraulic crowning (two crowning cylinders in the 1003 model, three cylinders in the 2204 models), and eight-axis backgauging.
Lastly, the press brake’s 18.5-in. touchscreen control provides a graph- ical interface that Du Fresne operators find minimizes the learning curve— they can use the control to identify and open bend programs, manage the tool library, adjust the machine axes as needed and visualize, in 3D, part positioning during the bending sequence.
A Labor Relief
Prior to adding the new automated press brakes, Du Fresne operated with
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MetalForming/January 2017
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