Page 15 - MetalForming January 2020

Servomechanicals Shine
at FABTECH
Press builders offered plenty this past November in Chicago, with advancements in frames, controls, feeds and more adding to the capabilities of these flexible machines. And, see videos in the online version of this article, at www.metalformingmagazine.com.
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SENIOR EDITOR
Servomechanical Presses Ideal for Hot Stamping
“We see some customers interested in employing servomechanical presses in hot stamping applications, a niche that Seyi has entered,” says Scott Braito, director of sales for Seyi America. “And, servomechanical presses offer an ideal
solution for complex operations. Our presses have been performing folding and extend- ed dwelling at bottom to provide pressure for cooling heated material or for non- metallic materials.”
The key to optimal performance, accord- ing to Braito, rests in exploiting inherent servo press capabilities. Stampers expecting to employ servomechanical presses as direct
replacements for mechanical press- es without chang- ing their processes, he offers, may be better off just buy- ing a standard mechanical press and saving a few bucks.
“Instead, Braito says, “those look- ing toward servo-
mechanical presses should study how to optimize productivity, current tooling and any new jobs being readied or quoted.
Determine how to increase profitability on those jobs by producing higher-qual- ity parts faster, and incorporating sec-
ondary operations into the press itself. The servo advantages can help deliver more complete parts off of the press.”
Case in point: a job demonstrated on the show floor at FABTECH, where a 220-ton Seyi SD1 servomechanical press compound-formed and punched 980-MPa material (pictured).
“We’re restriking, setting forms and punching all in a single die station using the programmable-motion capa- bilities of a servomechanical press,” Braito explains. “Normally, such a part would require multiple die stations and either progressive or transfer oper- ations, but due to the shape of the part, it’s not easily moved through a pro- gressive die. Given the programmability and the motion capabilities of a ser- vomechanical press, tooling costs less, and the press produces a quality part quickly.”
Also on the servo side, Seyi high- lighted its SDE series of servomechan- ical presses, in capacities from 440 to 2640 tons and reportedly ideal for hot stamping. The series features advanced servo motors and controls, eccentric gear drives, long stroke lengths and tie-rod frames. Together, these features provide flexibility across a range of applications.
These larger-capacity servomechan- ical presses allow for more energy-effi- cient operation, greater production speeds, better part quality and decreased maintenance as compared
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