Page 40 - MetalForming-May-2018-issue

Mechanical or Servo
are designed to run in specific presses due to press-bed length, press ton- nage, etc. Should a die need to run in a secondary press with a press stroke other than what is recommended for the tapping unit, the stamper must make some accommodations. Most tapping units allow some leeway in stroke, perhaps a few inches. However, when stroke varies more than this, significant changes to the tooling will
Most mechanical tapping units allow some leeway in stroke, perhaps a few inches. However, when stroke varies more than this, significant changes to the tooling will be required to enable proper operation of the tapping unit.
be required to enable proper operation of the tapping unit. Therefore, we recommend
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mechanical tapping units in applica- tions where the stamper can run the tooling in the same press, run after run, or in multiple presses with similar press strokes.
Another key factor when deciding to use mechanical tapping units: press stroke rate. To ensure successful tap- ping operations, metalformers must consider the gear ratio of the tapping unit, as well as workpiece-material type and sheet thickness. While production speed is well-defined, the tapping oper- ation rarely will limit stroke rate. For example, tapping an M6 x 1.0 thread in steel can run at a press speed to 60 strokes/min.—typically faster than many forming operations would allow. In these cases, mechanical tapping units often prove the most economical choice.
Servo-Based Tapping Units
Just as servo technology has found its way into presses, feeds and transfer systems, it also has found its way into in-die tapping units. Servo technology adds a level of control not available with mechanical units. The question, though, is whether the extra level of control with servo-based units warrants the higher cost and technical expertise required.
Servo tapping units offer several advantages over mechanical. The use of servo motors in place of mechanical cam drivers enables the use of servo tapping units with any press stroke length, and in a variety of presses, pro- vided that they include an encoder to feed information back to the control panel.
Servo tapping units also allow for
38 MetalForming/May 2018
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