Page 26 - MetalForming February 2019

FABRICATION
FABTECH
2018
Delivers
...the latest and greatest in metalforming and fabricating. Here’s a sample.
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SENIOR EDITOR, and JOE JANCSURAK, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Last November, more than 1500 exhibiting companies and nearly 34,000 attendees from 75 coun- tries descended upon the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, taking in all manner of metalforming and fabri- cating technology on display at FABTECH 2018. Three exhibit halls, totaling more than 650,000 sq. ft., show- cased products, services and expertise, all focused on boosting productivity, quality and profitability.
If you were there, or even if you weren’t, we have it here. Read on for some of the innovative technology we spied on the show floor. Look for more online at www.metalformingmagazine.com, in our MetalForming and FPN newsletters, in our Servo Finds at FABTECH article in January’s MetalForming print issue, and in coming print issues.
Network-Capable Press- Automation Controller
Wintriss Controls Group debuted its SmartPac Pro press-automation controller, featuring a large, easy-to- use touchscreen interface; dual-core processors; user-configurable dash- boards; virtually unlimited tool setup storage; and the ability to share setups among networked SmartPac Pro units.
A new tool-summary screen enables users to view the entire contents of each programmed setup on a single screen, providing the ability to place notes for the job, and allowing all con- tent to be exported via USB stick as comma-separated values. Users also can create custom home-screen dash- boards to display often-used informa- tion. The dashboards can be named and saved in the Favorites menu and recalled at any time.
SmartPac Pro architecture supports advanced connectivity features such as remote access from PCs and mobile devices, email messaging and compat- ibility with Wintriss’ IIoT production- tracking ShopFloorConnect software. And, a Wonderware hosting option enables the SmartPac Pro to run inde-
pendently created third-party human- machine interfaces for associated automation, thus reducing the number of screens required on a press.
The new controller maintains com- patibility with previous Wintriss legacy SmartPac 1 and 2 modules, including the DiProPac die-protection system, ProCamPac programmable limit switch, WaveFormPac tonnage-signa- ture monitor, WPC 2000 clutch/brake control and others. In addition, the new SmartPac Pro enclosure is avail- able with an optional pendant arm for mounting on presses.
Wintriss Controls Group: www.wintriss.com/wcg/automation /smartpacpro.html
24 MetalForming/February 2019
www.metalformingmagazine.com