Page 38 - MetalForming September 2014

Servos Seeing More Service
—Part I
Servo technology offers opportunities for improvement in drawing, high-tensile-strength stamping and blanking. Servo presses, including Nidec Minster’s FX2 600-ton straight- side, enable metalformers to explore new, unique ways to produce parts.
More than a decade after they debuted in North America, servo presses have entrenched themselves and have increasingly pop- ulated the metalforming landscape, owing to their unique capabilities and flexibility. There aren’t too many met- alformers that are not actively looking for ways to incorporate this technolo- gy on the pressroom floor, in various applications and in an economically prudent manner.
MetalForming surveyed manufac- turers of servo presses to learn what’s out there, what’s new and where servo presses make the most sense. By offer- ing various drive options, servo press- es offer more flexibility than ever. With such flexibility, metalformers are tasked with determining exactly how the tech- nology can provide benefits in specif- ic applications. As the learning curve is flattened, the technology will open new doors to creating better parts more effi- ciently, using tooling made specifical- ly to take advantage of what servo presses offer.
Drive Options Increase Servo Flexibility
Flexibility is the calling card for servo presses. Press manufacturer Stamtec, Inc. takes that flexibility a step further with two types of drive systems: direct, rolled out by the com- pany about 5 yr. ago and with a new generation coming online now; and
Servo-press technology continues to evolve, and metalformers are figuring out when and where the technology is the best bet.
More to Come
This is Part 1 of a two-part series on recent developments in servo-press technology, featuring interviews with press suppliers Stamtec, Minster and Seyi. Part 2, coming later this year, will focus on developments at Komatsu, Aida and Schuler.
Note: Komatsu, Seyi and Stamtec, along with Hyson, will sponsor MetalForming mag- azine’s 2014 Servo Press Technology Experience, October 7 in Nashville (from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.) Learn more at www.metalformingmagazine.com/servo.
36 MetalForming/September 2014
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