Page 18 - MetalForming September 2019

the entire hydraulic and/or control sys- tem to accommodate current software requirements. Either way, in most cases it is possible to achieve machine intel- ligence identical to that found on a new press.
MetalForming: What other after- market features increase throughput? Dixon: Aside from machine intelli- gence/monitoring used to eliminate unplanned downtime, hydraulic- and control-system retrofits can increase
speed, daylight, stroke and more. For applications such as titanium hot form- ing, this is especially important because the speed at which titanium is formed directly impacts the finished part. The upfront cost, typically less than that of a standard servo-mechanical press, also is enticing.
MetalForming: You mentioned hot stamping and hot forming...what is the difference?
Dixon: During hot stamping, the
productivity. Hydraulic sys- tems can be reconfigured or replaced to increase machine speed while, in many cases, still using the existing frame, cylinders and controls. By combining hydraulic and electrical rebuilds, older, inaccurate machines can achieve modern force and positional-accuracy toler- ances with built-in go/no- go functionality, reducing scrap and ensuring that every finished part meets the required specifications.
What advantages do hydraulic presses offer over other equipment options?
Dixon: Versatility and, in some cases, cost. We have the ability to customize near- ly every aspect of a hydraulic press—bed size, tonnage,
A 75-ton hydraulic press used to hot form titanium aerospace parts.
Hydraulic Presses
Data-acquisition systems measure and record key data points to monitor press health and performance, and notify operators of required maintenance.
workpiece—typically steel or alu- minum—heats up to in excess of 1000 F in a furnace, automatically transfer into a press, and then is formed/ quenched in the die to increase the part’s overall strength. This process, most com- monly used in the automotive industry, requires the use of a higher-speed press in order to make contact with the pre- heated workpiece before it cools.
When hot forming, to make the material more malleable and reduce spring back after the part cools, the press, mated tooling and blank material heat to in excess of 1300 F inside of the press. Hot forming presses, most commonly used in the aerospace industry to form titanium and other high-strength alloys, travel much slow- er than hot stamping presses. Because no quenching occurs, the overall microstructure of the material does not change.
MetalForming: Are hydraulic press- es for hot stamping or hot forming designed differently due to the heat generated by the process?
Dixon: To protect the press’ struc- ture from heat generated during the titanium hot forming process, hot forming presses typically feature 6- to
A 450-ton hydraulic deep draw press with dynamic bed cushion.
16 MetalForming/September 2019
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