Page 16 - MetalForming March 2020

Modern Press Controls
Deliver Horsepower
...via increased memory and processing capabilities, in addition to new levels of connectivity and much more. Industry experts weigh in.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Today’s PLC-based press controls provide end users with scalable controls that can evolve with their changing needs.
So says Mike Wilhelm, president of Helm Instrument Co. “Systems can be designed as standard off-the-shelf con- trols or custom-designed to meet cus- tomer-specific requirements,” he says. “Additionally, a single PLC can control an entire stamping line, from the uncoil- er, straightener and feeder to the end- of-line stacking, palletizing and pack- aging operations.”
One certainty, after speaking with several press control suppliers: Press control technology has evolved tremen- dously in recent years, with an extraor- dinarily high ceiling for continued development and additional capabili- ties. Here we present perspectives from
several press-control experts on:
• How new control capabilities help
stampers improve performance;
• The role that built-in and advanced connectivity plays in optimizing stamp-
ing-shop efficiency; and
• Enhanced die protection due to
increased control functionality.
One Multifunction User Interface
The philosophy among press pro- grammers and their managers used to be that “if you are running something at the press, you program it at the press,” says Jim Finnerty, product man- ager at Wintriss Controls, “not at some other press and then try to move it over, because the settings can change. Now, though, with current state-of- the-art control technology, operators can set up a die on one press and, should the die need to run in a different press later, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. They can share the setup parameters—sensor timing, tonnage, force, etc.,—and significantly reduce the likelihood of setup errors and die crashes. And, you don’t have the same information being programmed dif- ferently and stored in different places... it originates in the same place and can propagate through the shop.”
Finnerty echoes Wilhelm’s com- ments on controllability of the entire press line, noting the enhanced user-
interface (UI) capabilities of modern press controls. “We can host user inter- faces for other equipment,” he says, “and avoid the need to add screens to the press. While consolidating into one UI isn’t new, we used to see this during initial installation and integration. Now, thanks to a new development environ- ment called Wonderware (available on the new Wintriss SmartPac Pro automa- tion controller), a stamper can use any PC as the UI to program and monitor all sorts of press-cell equipment, includ- ing automation. Wonderware encom- passes drivers for Allen Bradley PLCs, Siemens, Fanuc, Yaskawa, etc...allowing a developer to create custom UIs. And, this can be done on a retrofit basis.”
It is worth noting that while infor- mation is king in complex processes, simplicity and screen design can make all the difference. So notes Chris Cejer, senior vice president of Cieco Controls.
“Nothing is more frustrating to an operator than cluttered screens, com- plex programming or difficult naviga- tion,” he says. “Difficult screen inter- action can lead users to overlook, disable or misuse powerful money-sav- ing features. In addition, costs increase with intense training, especially with frequent employee turnover. One way we help our customers improve the stamping process is to make it easier for the operator through a well-
14 MetalForming/March 2020
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