Synthetic Stamping Lube Saves the Day
February 10, 2025Comments
…for this Tier One metal former that faced a significant challenge deep drawing an appliance part for a large OEM. Help came in the way of a new synthetic stamping lube, now delivered through a central mixing system, that improved the Big Three—productivity, quality and consistency.
Worthy goals of any lubricant-related continuous-improvement stamping project include:
- Improve part quality and consistency
- Stamp clean, near-dry parts
- Optimize lubricant coverage while reducing concentration and consumption
- Ensure repeatable, accurate concentration
- And, where possible, consolidate lubricants, from several down to just a few.
All of these goals recently were achieved by Tier One appliance-industry supplier Pennant, Inc., at its Sabina, OH, facility, one of four locations operated by the supplier of roll formed and stamped products and welded assemblies. While the appliance market dominates its customer base, the firm also supplies ConAg, consumer, heavy-truck, industrial lawn and garden and utilities industries.
The Sabina facility houses 16 stamping presses (six progressive-die presses and 10 hand-transfer machines) and more than 20 roll forming mills. The addition over the years of several unique projects led the firm to specify as many as 10 different lubricant compositions. And, while its engineering team suspected for some time that it could consolidate that list down to a few formulations, a recent, challenging project forced its hand.
“We’ve run a high-volume takeover tool for a large appliance OEM since 2015, and using the stamping lubricant the customer specified had caused numerous issues, primarily unpredictable and difficult-to-overcome splits and galling,” says manufacturing engineer and quality assurance manager Bill Figgins. Figgins also oversees the Pennant toolroom, and its CI efforts. “We decided early in 2023 to revisit the tool for that stamping, and the process.”
The part in question is a dishwasher inner door assembly, stamped on one of Pennant’s largest presses—a 600-ton mechanical. The tool produces weekly volumes of 25,000 to 30,000, and requires a deep draw (2 to 3 in.) performed in two of the die’s six stations. The material of choice: 0.036-in. galvanized steel, with a tapered 2-in. downward draw. And, while the stamping process calls for a production rate of 600 strokes/hr., quality issues sometimes slowed things down to half that rate.
While the lubrication project headed up by Figgins and operations manager Charley Harpen focused on that initial tool and part, they believed that by conducting a well-planned project to investigate and eventually select a new lubricant to replace the heavy oil, that it also would be able to use the new lubricant to replace other formulations being used at the facility—on its presses and on its roll forming mills. 
“We realized some improvement moving from spray application to a roll coater,” adds Harpen, “but still struggled as the rollers would become gummed up, especially if the press sat idle for any length of time. And, we struggled with the consistency of the lubricant concentration ratio. We still had far too many customer rejects, as well as press downtime and then, expedited shipping.”
