Page 22 - MetalForming-May-2018-issue

• 10-500 Metric Tons
• Adjustable Stroke
• In-Stock Presses
• Fully Safeguarded, CE
mated transfer can boost productivity significantly while improving operator safety.”
4)Quality Control
Another area of demand among metalformers is press-
line quality-control, with automated systems integrated into a press itself.
“The increasing image quality of industrial cameras gen- erates a clearer view of part details by vision systems,” Dixon says. “Presses today can be equipped with vision systems that closely monitor parts as they exit the press, checking dimensions and looking for cosmetic defects or checking that a part is properly oriented for processing in a secondary operation. These automated quality-control systems are unbiased, repeatable, and can check parts in milliseconds without increasing production time.”
5)Machine Monitoring and Reporting
Though not normally considered as automation, machine monitoring and reporting most definitely can
increase press-line productivity.
“Metalformers require more control over their processes
than ever before,” says Dixon. “To get that control they need data, but gathering data is not enough.”
He believes that mountains of data without context cause many metalformers to fall off of the Industry 4.0 and IoT bandwagon.
“A machine can provide any kind of data that you want,” Dixon explains, “but how you analyze and react to that infor- mation is what’s important. Press builders such as Beckwood partner with control providers to supply smart machines that not only compile but analyze data and report the infor- mation in digestible formats that can result in quick action from plant management.”
Machines can track many things including productivity, part quality and downtime.
“For example,” says Dixon, “on a Beckwood press, down- time data could include operator-supplied reasons for down- time as well as machinery production logs over a specified period of time. Results are sent proactively to management where the data are analyzed to uncover the source of the inefficiency such as material shortage, inefficient operators, maintenance issues, etc. It’s not just numbers in an Excel file; it’s actionable intelligence.”
Such information pays dividends in many ways.
“How do you justify to your boss the need to automate die changes?” Dixon asks. “It’s much easier if you have a year’s worth of data showing 800 hr. of lost production due to die changes, as in the case of our QDC example.”
Predictive maintenance is another area where smart machines shine.
“Take the case of a heated platen press,” Dixon offers. “These presses employ multiple electric heating rods with elements that periodically must be replaced. Traditionally, the operator would only become aware of a faulty element
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See us at:
Mexico City, Mexico May 2-4, 2018 • Booth #805
4908 Moores Mill Rd, Suite 100 Huntsville, AL 35811 USA
Tel: + 1.256.275.4701 • Fax: + 1.256.275.4704 www.sangiacomo-presses.com
20 MetalForming/May 2018
www.metalformingmagazine.com
Automate Your Press Line