Page 16 - MetalForming February 2020

Press Builders Becoming Purveyors of Turnkey Systems
Meeting Challenges
Not only do customers expect their press suppliers to be equipment experts, but process and materials experts as well, notes Greenerd’s Jose- fiak. “For example: A customer, expe- riencing problems with part handling due to a vacuum-cup-equipped gripper system that couldn’t consistently secure the parts because of the thickness of the lubricant, sought a solution. We were able to design custom end-of- arm tooling that provided a mechanical grip on the edge of the material, result- ing in effective gripping of the parts.”
Another challenge, this one met by Beckwood, came in the form of worker safety concerns. Wabash National, a producer of semi-trailers, machines large tank heads ranging in size from 24 to 160 in. using a 3500-ton hydraulic press. With the prior setup, an operator had to climb into the machine to fasten a tool or load a part.
“We added a bed trolley that shuttles the lower tool in the bed for tool change and part loading and unloading,” says Dixon. “Now, the company loads with an overhead crane and suction cups, placing tools onto the bed and shuttling the press bed back into the press to form the part.”
No discussion on automation is complete unless it includes Industry 4.0 and shop-floor connectivity. “Con- trol systems have become extremely
This horizontal hydraulic turnkey press includes the coil feed, tooling, robot, conveyance and a trim-and-dimple station.
important,” says Sutherland’s Fausz, citing flexibility and connectivity as critical features. Sutherland’s software- based I-Press for press-speed control, tank monitoring and more, allows for changes on the fly. “Think of it like an iPhone,” he says. “When you want to add capabilities to your phone, you don’t call the app store and ask for a chip. Instead, you simply download the app. The same is true of the I- Press.”
Fausz adds, “Full press controls interface with all outside automation. Consequently, I-Press manages the entire line, allowing the operator to monitor everything from the press’s main operators station, and the soft- ware allows for additional capabilities, available on Rockwell Allen Bradley, Omron and Siemens platforms.”
“New for 2020, cool stuff for hydraulics—flow temperature, leak detection, etc.—the result of working with Balluff,” noted Mark Sutherland, the company’s CEO, during FABTECH 2019 in Chicago: “Our I-Press package,” adds Jack Wilson, the company’s pres- ident, “provides a simple path for smart predictive presses, which will commu- nicate between facilities, enabling remote troubleshooting before there’s trouble.”
Last, but certainly not least, auto- mated turnkey systems enable some companies to reverse outsourcing. “Ver- tical integration allows companies to consistently process parts in house,” says Neff’s Schmidt. “The technology costs a lot, but so does outsourcing. We’re seeing companies reshoring and bringing production back from Asia thanks to automation.” MF
The fully automated titanium forming cell includes a custom hydraulic press, heat con- trol, conveyor system and automated die change.
14 MetalForming/February 2020
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