Page 22 - MetalForming April 2017

In-Die In-die fastener installation elimi- nates secondary operations that add labor costs, diminish quality and restrict throughput. While in-die insertion finds widespread use throughout the metalforming industry primarily for larger fasteners in the M8 to M10 range, a recent atypical appli- cation, using microfasteners, illustrates how creativity and custom engineering can allow the process to be scaled down
Micropin Insertion
A Cleveland, OH, precision metalformer solves a unique in-die insertion challenge by working with its vendor to custom-design a sensor-laden die and special pin-feed system to avoid time-consuming and costly secondary operations.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
to the most precise of applications. The project: Insert two 1.57-mm- dia. by 11-mm-long micropins into a stamped aluminum part running in a progressive die at 35 strokes/min., with tolerances of ±0.2 mm on perpendic- ularity and 0.3 mm on location. The metalformer that took on this chal- lenging process: Die-Matic Corp., Cleveland, OH, with assistance from in-die installation-system provider
PennEngineering, Danboro, PA.
“We are a project-driven company that strives to run projects more effi- ciently,” says Die-Matic president Jerry Zeitler. “For this automotive part, we built the die about 2 yr. ago and have had it in production for 18 months, running more than 1 million parts/yr. with the potential to escalate to 3 mil- lion/yr. While we’ve been employing in-die processing (tapping, staking and clinching) for more than 10 yr., this project took in-die insertion to a new level, and Penn-Engineering worked seamlessly with our automation team to help ensure that we met our cus- tomer’s expectations regarding
throughput and quality.”
A Slew of Sensors
The stamped part is of aluminum type 5052-O and measures approxi- mately 2 by 3.5 in. Die-Matic runs it on a 200-ton Minster mechanical press in a very complex 19-station die. Explains project engineer Jim Mahnic:
“One of the key aspects of the die, and most challenging, was being able to detect the presence of the prepierced holes to accept each inserted micropin, and also to ensure the presence of each pin in the injector head before it fires. The die also includes sensors for short and long feed, stripper leveling, pin
Die-Matic runs the micropin in-die insertion job on a 200-ton Minster mechanical press. To downsize the standard PennEngineering in-die feed setup, engineer Ashok Patil reduced the size of the system cart (shown) and redesigned the bowl-feed and shuttle setup to singulate and deliver the pins to the die. The feed tube is fixed to the press ram, and runs underneath the light curtain and loops back up to the stripper plate. To mini- mize cycle time, Die-Matic shortened the tube (to about 15 ft.) and positioned it to, as much as possible, get gravity on its side.
20 MetalForming/April 2017
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