Page 14 - MetalForming October 2009

TechUpdate HVAC Fabricator Installs New Laser-Cutting Machine
M & M Mfg. Co., Fort Worth, TX, has installed a new Mazak Hypergear 2D FMS laser-cutting system to increase capac- ity to produce prefab HVAC components. The firm fabricates round, rectangular and spiral HVAC duct pipe and fittings.
“With our Mazak laser we can cut dif- ferent part designs, of differing sheet thick- nesses, without ever changing the machine setup,” says operations manager Barney Shackelford, “with superior edge quality and free from burrs and with narrow kerfs.”
The 4000-W laser offers automatic features that reduce operator workload. Automatic setup allows the machine to go from ultra-thin to thick sheet, including paint- ed and galvanized sheet, with minimum direct operator involvement. The machine can process mild steel to 1 in. thick.
“This is an investment in our future,” says M & M COO Rob Felton, “to ensure that we remain an industry leader in HVAC and custom sheetmetal fabrication.”
M & M outfitted the laser-cutting machine with a high-capacity material- storage tower to store and retrieve as many as 10 different sheet specifications; a pneumatic load system to accurately position the sheet; and several versions of automatic unload. The machine’s line controller software allows M & M to
locate material for the next job, direct material retrieval while the laser continues cutting, download nested cutting pro- grams for storage in the CNC control, alert factory personnel to problems, and pro- vide comprehensive production reports. Mazak Optonics Corp.: 847/252-4500; www.mazaklaser.com
3-D Laser Cutting of Hot-Stamped Steels
Driven by the automotive industry’s need to improve safety, reduce vehicle weight and increase fuel economy, the steel industry has developed numerous advanced-high-strength steels and hot-
Phygen Solution
FortiPhyTM UltraEnduranceTM Coating has given C. Cowles & Company:
• Up to 7x longer punch life with high abrasive-wear resistance
formable steels. Hot stamping with die quenching of boron steels appeared at the end of the 1990s, and since then, the process—also called press hardening or hot forming—has become popular
“We can actually re-sharpen the punches for continued life whereas previously they broke and were a total loss”
Whyn Pelkey, Engineering Manager of C. Cowles & Company, New Haven, CT
Cowles Tooling Challenge
As an automotive parts supplier, Cowles experienced punch breakage causing 6 to 7 stops per 20,000 parts, run on
a 250-ton press at 35 strokes/ min. Severe galling on the sides caused the punch ends to actually rip off as they would weld themselves into the material strip on the upstroke of the press. One week of down- time for 20,000 parts.
• Spectacular lubricity – no more problems with the material catching & breaking the punches
• Saves downtime – parts are now completed without shutting down the press, removing the complicated tooling and replacing the broken punches – now an inventory of coated punches is on the shelf
• Punch edge stays sharp during the production run and allows re-sharpening as required
Visit www.phygen.com/ Success_Cowles.html for
the full story or call 888.749.4361
Phygen Coatings, Inc. / Toll Free 888.749.4361 / phygen.com / email: tech@phygen.com
12 METALFORMING / OCTOBER 2009 write no. 11 www.metalformingmagazine.com