Page 16 - MetalForming September 2019

Josh Dixon, director of sales and marketing at Beckwood Press Co., answers questions at FABTECH Chicago.
Hydraulic Presses:
Better Than Ever
ible with monitoring and reporting systems. These built-in intelligence systems meet the predictive-mainte- nance needs of metal formers.
MetalForming: How have these improved predictive-maintenance capabilities impacted overall equip- ment effectiveness?
Dixon: Our job as press builders is to eliminate downtime for our customers. Ten years ago, manufacturers commonly kept an array of spare parts and a highly skilled maintenance crew on-hand in anticipation of unplanned downtime. Today, we emphasize early detection and notification in order to maintain uptime.
MetalForming: What options are available to a metal former wanting to add machine intelligence to an existing press?
Dixon: The options for retrofitting machine intelligence into an existing press largely depend on the press’ con- figuration. If the majority of the machine's components are up-to-date, it is feasible to add machine intelligence with very few hardware modifications, focusing primarily on software. Older machines may require replacement of
BY JOE JANCSURAK, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
While hydraulic press technol- ogy dates back to 1795 when inventor Joseph Bramah was issued a patent on the first such press, today’s press manufacturers offer a range of options. Hydraulic press expert Josh Dixon, director of sales and mar- keting, Beckwood Press Co., St. Louis, MO, shares his thoughts on today’s offerings and what metal formers need to consider when making their buying decisions.
MetalForming: When it comes to hydraulic-press technology, where are we seeing the greatest advancements?
Dixon: On the hardware side, con- tinuous advancement in high-perfor- mance valves and feedback devices provide increasingly higher levels of force, positional accuracy and repeata- bility than a decade ago. The biggest advancements, however, are in soft- ware, sensors and controls.
MetalForming: How are these advancements improving hydraulic- press capabilities?
Dixon: The built-in intelligence afforded by advanced sensing and soft- ware developments enables the mon- itoring of nearly any parameter includ- ing press speed, pump efficiency, oil temperature, platen temperature, force and positional accuracy, and overall press performance over time.
MetalForming: How are these data being used?
Dixon: Most significantly, we see that when combining the data points with software algorithms, this infor- mation tells the user when specific components will require attention. We rely on our electronics suppliers, Allen Bradley and Siemens, and our hydraulic suppliers, Parker-Hannifin and Rexroth, to provide us with high- quality components that are compat-
14 MetalForming/September 2019
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