Page 42 - MetalForming July 2019

New Press Controls
“Once we plugged into all of this, we had to figure out what to do with all of the new information,” he says.
Longer Die Life, Longer Part Runs
With the new controls in place, Mar- shalltown boasts a number of success examples. One deals with the number of hits before a die travels to the tool- room for servicing.
“Before, we wrote that information on a piece of paper—sometimes incor- rectly, or people would forget to write down a run, or we’d lose the paper and all of that information,” recalls Rhodes. “Now, with this electronic data collec- tion, we know the exact number of hits. For dies running multiple types of parts, we know the percentage of a run for part A, and the percentage for part B. We use that data to better plan a die’s run and maintenance schedules. It helps extend die life and provides for better production planning.”
Misfeeds represents another area
where the new controllers have paid big dividends.
“We can track why the press has stopped, and that includes misfeeds,” Rhodes says. “Previously, we had a hard time with misfeeds during and after setup, and we should have had this basic information available to the tool- room. Now we can see, for example, how many times within 500 hits did we have a misfeed.”
In one specific case, a progressive die had run strictly on one of the 60- ton presses because the press’ DiPro 1500 could incorporate misfeed sensing deemed critical for that die.
“But the tough material required to run through that die pushed the limits of the press, causing flexing and result- ing in die misalignment,” says Rhodes. “After installing the SmartPac Pro on the 110-ton press, we could transfer the die to that press due to the con- troller’s ability to incorporate misfeed sensing data.
“As a result,” he continues, “we
increased production from 500 parts before required die servicing to 5000 parts. Again, we gained that productivity just by switching to the higher-tonnage press equipped with the new controller.”
Information Equals Success
Addition of the new controllers fits perfectly into Marshalltown’s quest to ramp up data collection and analysis through all of its operations.
“We use automation and data col- lection in order to provide a safer and more efficient workplace,” Rhodes says. “It's not just in our press area. We’re utilizing data collection in our auto- mated and manual production work- cells, and doing everything we can to collect as much information and use it to help in production, maintenance and engineering. With this information, we can pinpoint bottlenecks in our processes and become more efficient in what we do. It has helped us to remain a leader in the supply of con- struction tools.” MF
Hosted by Urgent Design
& Manufacturing, Lapeer, MI
September 17, 2019
Attend this one-day, one-of-a-kind conference for the unique opportunity to dive deeply into hot stamping and to get close to the action. We’ll also tour Urgent Design & Manufacturing (UDM) to view five-axis laser trimming of hot-stamped parts, robotic resistance-spot welding of hot-stamped parts, and much more.
Founded in 2000, UDM, an affiliate of the 3-Dimensional Services Group, specializes in rapid manufacturing and low-volume forming and fabricating.
One new plant addition: a robotic hot-stamping cell featuring two 500-ton APT hydraulic presses equipped with NC cushions, a six-axis Kuka robot for blank placement and cell control, and a new Parks Thermal furnace.
Speakers before and after the tour include Eren Billur of Billur Metal Form Ltd., and Harald Lemke of Formetrix.
For details and to register, visit www.metalformingmagazine.com/hot-stamping
Sponsored by:
6363 Oak Tree Blvd. | Independence, OH 44131 216/901-8800 | metalformingmagazine.com | pma.org
40 MetalForming/July 2019
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