Page 16 - MetalForming-Jul-2018-issue

Fanning
Controls
Innovation
Greenheck Fan relies on advancements in press-controls technology to reduce setup time, spur worker productivity and stay profitable.
BY JOE JANCSURAK, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
This older press at Greenheck Fan had a control that met safety standards but was lacking in self-diagnostics and powerful user-friendly process-con- trol capabilities. A complete and successful retrofit using the previous gen- eration of Link controls, the OmnLink 5000, led to a succession of improve- ments in the pressroom.
The aging of America is leaving its imprint on the labor force, particularly manufacturing, with boomers born between 1946 and 1964 heading into retirement seemingly en masse. Investopedia.com estimates the number to be about 10,000 daily. The phenomenon could result in 3.4 million manufacturing jobs becoming available through 2025, according to a study by the Manufacturing Institute, a Wash- ington-based think tank, and Deloitte LLC. The study adds that the much publicized skills gap could result in 2 million of those jobs staying unfilled. For metalformers and fabricators look- ing to stay competitive in coming years, the availability of fewer workers neces- sitates increased automation via advanced control systems.
So where is control technology head- ing? To help answer that question, Met- alForming interviewed decision-makers at TCR Integrated Stamping Systems, a
Link Systems’ ability to provide flexible custom layout solutions allowed Greenheck Fan and TCR Integrated Stamping Systems to create a master operator station (MOS) com- bining press and feed-interface screens, plus the push buttons to run the system. This MOS, mounted to a movable arm, allows the operator to position controls for greater ease of use.
14 MetalForming/July 2018
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