ROEMHELD INTRODUCES FLEXIBLE CLAMPING FROM ZERO
Roemheld has developed a new zero point flexible position clamping element that offers clamping and support - all in a single element.
This new addition to the Roemheld workholding range offers the ideal solution for situations where mounting has to be adapted to suit the workpiece. The distortion of workpieces can be a problem for thin-walled parts and direct workpiece clamping, but the Roemheld flexible position clamping element combines the distortion-free benefits of 3-point support clamping with the stability of multiple support points.
Firstly, the clamping force is applied to all clamping elements up to 20kN. Three support points are fixed and pulled onto the supports during clamping. At the same time, the flexible position clamping element is also moved into element at the fourth point and every further point. The flexible position element is then clamped into position. The clamping force achieved depends on hydraulic pressure.
A retractable nipple with equaliser solves the contradiction of stable mounting and the necessary movement and can be used wherever large thermal expansion is expected. It means that, independent of the size of the pallet, there is always a fixed zero point during machining.
A booster for use with single-acting mounting systems ensures pallets can be changed quickly and safely. While a docking unit with media transfer is available which feeds all energy and supply lines, reducing costs, storage and weight and enabling automation using a simple range of machinery.
To find out more about Roemheld's range of workholding solutions, visit http://www.roemheld.co.uk/ or telephone 0121 453 1414.
ROEMHELD ROTOR LOCKING SYSTEM SECURES WIND TURBINE MARKET
Roemheld offers a cost-effective modular rotor locking system designed to secure wind rotor turbines when maintenance and safety checks are being carried out.
The innovative Hilma rotor locking system is available for both onshore and offshore wind turbines with a rating of up to 6 MW. The elements within the system can withstand temperatures ranging from -20 to +70 degrees centigrade. The rotor lock is based on standard modules, but can be customised according to customer specifications and even special designs are available quickly, and at affordable prices.
The core is a double-acting bolt, which can be moved either hydraulically or electromechanically with position control to serve as a closing mechanism. The Hilma rotor lock is available with a check valve option, with an additional mechanical lock or with adjustable position control. The rotor lock can also be supplied without housing and integral position control.
Hilma rotor locks from Roemheld are compact, require a low level of maintenance and are resistant to corrosion. The offshore versions have a special surface protection.
Bill Neal, Managing Director of Roemheld, said: "We offer customers involved with wind power plants a very broad product range. This comprises - amongst other items - elements of mechanical, electromechanical and hydraulic design which are available with optional additional mechanical safety locks to meet increased safety requirements."
To find out more about the Roemheld range of innovative workholding solutions, visit http://www.roemheld.co.uk/ or telephone 0121 453 1414.
PRESSWORKING PRODUCTIVITY DOUBLED
High-speed press with twin servo drives can accommodate two tools, side-by-side or in-line
The generous working area and power of a new Bruderer BSTA 510-125 high-speed press, installed in April 2011 at the Cirencester factory of Batten & Allen, is proving particularly versatile for the precision stamping specialist.
The 1,250 mm length of the machine's bolster plate allows room for two large progression dies to be mounted in-line for manufacturing complex components in one continuous operation. Alternatively, there is sufficient bed width for two tools to be mounted side-by-side and fed with separate coils. In both cases, production output is doubled.
Furthermore, punching capacity of 51 tons, which provides sufficient power for two tools to be used simultaneously, also enables heavier pressworking of automotive and other parts if one tool is used, expanding the range of industries that Batten & Allen can serve. Stamping speed is up to 1,050 strokes per minute, slower than the lighter duty presses on site but still an impressive 17.5 hits per second.
A 50-ton Bruderer long-bed press, Batten & Allen's first of that size, was installed at Cirencester in 2006. It has been employed continually for fulfilling a long-running contract to make components for the automotive industry. Tools for producing electronic components have been routinely transferred from 30-ton and 50-ton presses on site to the larger machine to utilise its capacity.
Batten & Allen has won additional work to produce 50 million jewellery components annually, which surprisingly also requires the larger bed area of a 50-ton press.
More recently, two further contracts were awarded for producing fly-by-wire throttle system components destined for motor cycles and golf buggies. These parts also need heavier pressworking capability, so managing director Shawn Batten took the decision to install the BSTA 510-125 to provide additional capacity as well as back-up for the first 50-ton press.
However this time, after an in-depth discussion with Bruderer UK's managing director, Adrian Haller, he opted for a package that is substantially different from the original 50-ton machine.
Servo feeds provide extra accuracy and productivity
Apart from having slightly higher tonnage, the press is fitted with a bolster plate that is extended by 150 mm to 1,250 mm, providing extra room for a longer progression tool, or two tools in-line. Bolster width is the same at 650 mm and to take advantage of the wide bed, the option of using two tool / die sets side-by-side was created by specifying twin Bruderer BSV75 servo feed units to push two strips up to 75 mm wide through the dies in parallel. Alternatively they will accept one wide strip. Both the upper and lower feed rollers are driven so that pressure is transmitted evenly to the strip.
Servo feed technology was not new to Batten & Allen, as it ordered a similar unit with a BSTA 300-85B press bought at the end of 2007. Maintenance manager at Cirencester, Alan Gilbert, commented, "Accuracy of feeding is around plus or minus one thousandth of the pitch length, much the same as for mechanical roll or gripper feeds.
"However, the servo gives much more control, as it can be programmed to optimise the timing dynamics on ramp-up, dwell and ramp-down for any given job.
"A soft start, for example, will gradually advance the strip for greater feed length accuracy, with or without pilot release, while the facility to control material advance independently of the machine stroke is particularly beneficial if there is a lot of forming, or if parts are delicate.
"Moreover, unlike with mechanical feeding, pitch length using a servo is infinitely variable and without limit, and is quickly set at the B-Control system on the press, as is material thickness and all other parameters for the job. The entire program can be saved for immediate reuse next time."
Overall, Mr Gilbert said that the first BSV unit has been very reliable and accurate and has led to higher production rates. He also suggests that its ease of use has resulted in a reduction of 10 to 15 minutes in set-up time per job.
Mr Batten confirmed that mechanically driven roll feeds are still good for a majority of stamping work. Nevertheless, with the trend towards ever greater accuracy and complexity of parts, underpinned by statistical process control requirements and PPAP (production part approval process) in the automotive sector, servo feed technology is likely to be the norm for future press installations at Batten & Allen.
First application for the BSTA 510-125
The first job put on the new Bruderer press did not utilise its twin servo feeds, but exploited the long bed to accommodate two existing tools in series that were previously used on separate 25-ton presses. Designed to produce tin-plated brass components for a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, one tool carries out the blanking while the other completes the subsequent forming. All operations are now performed in one continuous process in the 51-ton press.
Mr Batten continued, "This technique results in a substantial saving in unit manufacturing cost, not least through reduced labour content."
He added that parallel stamping while feeding two strips through the press will be similarly beneficial, as they can utilise two existing, separate tool / die sets from other presses to provide extra, high productivity stamping capacity for all components. Increasing use of multi-out progression tools also assists in maximising output.
Tool monitoring is being fitted to the BSTA 510-125 to check for pitch accuracy and double thickness, as well as a vacuum sensor to detect floating slugs and strip lubrication to promote long tool life.
There are currently 24 Swiss-built Bruderer presses on the Cirencester site installed in a temperature controlled, 'closed-door' environment, the latter term apparently having meaning for customers in the medical sector. All machines have pallet decoilers and auto recoilers, as production is predominantly automated, reel-to-reel stamping.
PC-based control speeds changeover
The last seven presses to be installed have been equipped with the Bruderer's PC-based B-Control system, which facilitates exchanging a full set of modular tools in 20 minutes, three times faster than on earlier machines. As data on each new tool is programmed into the CNC system, it is a simple matter during a repeat run to call up the number of the tool, bolt it onto the press and follow the on-screen prompts to load the program and make the initial and fine adjustments.
With a Windows operating system, the CNC system uses easy-to-follow menus on the colour screen and provides process visualisation, press force measurement with tool protection, capacity for 500 records including data not only on the tool but on the order and material as well, and control of up to 10 NC axes.
The design of the press itself features a rigid drive shaft mounted transversely, transmitting power to the ram via two con rods, and a lever system with mass counterbalancing for stability at high speeds. Absence of any lateral forces means that the ram guides are at strip level, avoiding punch deflection due to eccentric loads in the die.
Accurate tools a necessity
In-house design and manufacture of tools at Cirencester is helped by ongoing investment in Agie CNC wire erosion machines to add to the grinders, mills, machining centres and inspection equipment in the toolroom. Accurate tools require the use of top quality pillars and bushes, so Batten & Allen has used Fibro products from Germany since the early 1990s. Also supplied by Bruderer UK, the components are renowned for their quality and precision.
Mr Batten continued, "Our customers' components often stipulate forming tolerances as small as 25 microns. Complex tools are required to hold such tolerances on blanked dimensions, let alone formed features.
"By making our tools in-house using Fibro parts to control the relative positions of tool, stripper plate and die to within close limits, we ensure that each set is manufactured to the highest quality.
"It is in our own interests not to cut corners, as good tools produce longer runs before they need refurbishing, saving costs and maximising the up-time of the Bruderer presses."
At the end of the interview, Messrs Batten and Gilbert agreed that Bruderer equipment has proved very reliable and capable over the years, with some models still working two shifts after 25 years. Support from Bruderer UK was singled out for praise, and so too was the diagnostics package in the B-Control with modem link to the Bruderer factory in Switzerland, which allows software issues to be dealt with immediately.
Six photographs showing:
ROEMHELD LAUNCHES ELECTRIC SWING CLAMP RANGE
Roemheld has just launched a new range of electric swing clamps that work without hydraulics. Only a 24V direct current is required, making these clamps ideal for applications where the use of hydraulic elements is not possible, where the clamping elements need to be controlled separately or where the clamping force must be obtained after separation from the energy supply.
The new electric swing clamps from Roemheld are individually controllable with electric position monitoring. The clamping force can also be monitored through error code output. The electric swing clamps offer a swing angle of up to 180 degrees and an adjustable clamping force of up to 7kN. They include a self locking spindle and mechanical reclamping through Belville springs. An effective wiper system ensures they are leakage and maintenance free.
The Roemheld electrically controlled swing clamps are driven by a brushless DC motor. The motor speed is transformed by means of a gear and a threaded spindle into the swing and stoke movement of the piston rod.
These elements have been developed for use in a wide variety of manufacturing applications within the food industry, packaging industry, clean room areas, test systems, assembly equipment and robotics and any automatic manufacturing systems.
ROEMHELD SOLVES PROBLEM OF FREE FORM CLAMPING
Roemheld has developed a new system that solves the challenges of clamping free form surfaces for industries such as Aerospace.
The FSS system (Flexible Clamping and Supporting Systems) from Roemheld enables the clamping and supporting of various workpieces with different free form surfaces.
At the core of the design of the Roemheld FSS clamping fixture is the use of Kostyrka UHF clamping and supporting elements. These can be used in any number to create the workpiece contact surface. Because each UHF element can be positioned individually on the relevant workpiece geometry, Roemheld FSS clamping fixtures allow for a flexible configuration of individual surfaces when clamping and supporting workpieces.
The Roemheld Kostyrka UHF clamping and support elements consist of a guided and axially adjustable piston rod that can be clamped into any position by using a Kostyrka clamping sleeve. This procedure, and the clamping of the piston rods, are both fully automated. A vacuum pad with internal ball location that provides a defined contact surface is used as an interface to the workpiece.
Depending on the workpiece surfaces and geometry, with the appropriate vacuum pads it is possible to obtain clamping forces (vacuum forces) of a minimum of 300N for each UHF element.
As well as having multiple applications within the Aerospace sector, this system can also be used across Automotive, Rail, Boat building and Space technologies.
5-AXIS CAN BE A TRIAL
The benefits of 5-Axis machining can also be a challenge when choosing the right workholding system. All 5-Axis clamps and vices have to be secure and accurate, yet flexible enough to align with the positioning of the component on the table and allow for standard tool lengths.
Because Roemheld understands the importance of such decisions, it operates a ‘'Try before you buy' policy on all its 5-Axis vices and clamps. This has resulted in many end users taking up this opportunity to evaluate the products while using them in their own production environments.
One such end user was Insight, based in Malvern, who took advantage of the Roemheld scheme to trial a 5-Axis vice. Chris Poole, Managing Director of Insight said: "Using the free demo definitely sold the vice to us as it performed perfectly for our needs. In fact we refused to give it back until the new 5-Axis vice we then purchased from Roemheld was actually installed".
The free trial also enables end users to get to grips with one of the key benefits of using the Roemheld 5-Axis vice system: the ability to grip on just 3mm. This feature allows for substantial raw material savings as customer practice usually allows for up to 20mm for gripping on, to then be machined off as waste material at a later date. In some instances, this cost saving has been up to 30%.
Another advantage of gripping on 3mm is that with a little billet prepping the capacity of the vice system can be extended. The Roemheld MC125Z used in this way can accommodate components of up to 500mm in length by 450mm wide by 280mm high. This has proved to be a huge benefit to sub-contractors using 5-Axis machines.
Further added value when using the 5-Axis vice systems from Roemheld is the elimination of distortion when machining, as Ireland-based Smithstown Light Engineering found. Brian King, the Managing Director, said ‘' Before, when we held a big block of tungsten we would have to machine off 15mm to 20mm and this would cause distortion. Now, using the Roemehld vices, we only need to take 2-3mm off so the distortion problems have gone. We have also made significant savings on raw material costs."
As Step files and CAD files are available for every single vice and jaw set within the Roemheld 5-Axis range, programmers are also able to simulate the machining process for collisions. As well as making life much easier for the production team, this helps reduce costs even further as potential collision paths are programmed out prior to machining taking place.
Roemheld is also currently offering customers who purchase products from its 5-Axis vices range, cutting tool vouchers worth up to the value of £500. The value of the vouchers is dependent on the total order value. More details of this promotion are available at www.roemheld.co.uk/vouchers
FAST ECONOMIC HAEGER 824 WINDOWTOUCH-3® INSERTION PRESS FOR PRECISION FASTENER INSERTION
The Haeger 824 WindowTouch®-3 insertion press from Shear-Form Machine Tools Ltd, the Coventry based sheet metal and plate working machinery supplier and sole UK representative for California based Haeger Inc, makes life easier for the press operator by ensuring that the correct fastener is inserted every time.
By replacing an old insertion press with a new Haeger 824 WindowTouch®-3, a fabricator can improve his insertion productivity by up to 40% as well as improve the quality of his components. He will also be more able to handle the precise specifications that are required in to-days manufacturing. This press is capable of applying insertions into thin gauge materials and other applications, where absolute repeatability (+/-0.5%) is most critical. It also has a force range from 4-72kN, a throat depth of 610mm and throat height of 342mm.
Other performance enhancing features include a multi-shuttle tooling platform for nuts, studs and stand-offs, reducing the tool changing time to about 2 minutes without the need for re-alignment, whilst the Turret Insertion System (TIS-2) enables up to 4 different fasteners to be inserted in one part handling. A positive locking station ensures the operator has activated the correct tool station and that there is no tool movement, when the insertion takes place. The tool position feedback eliminates the possibility of any missing fasteners by stopping the operator from moving on to the next fastener until the current fastener is inserted.
Whether the fabrication shop is new to hardware insertions or already inserts millions of fasteners, the 824 WindowTouch-3® will make life much easier for the operator by ensuring that the right insertion is inserted in the right place at the right time and eliminating any component damage during the insertion process. Rejected components due to missing fasteners are eliminated, whilst fast ram speeds will increase productivity.
Clive Meir, Director, Shear-Form Machine Tools said: "For a fabrication shop equipped with the latest laser punching and cutting equipment, it makes economic sense to have a quality insertion press to maintain product quality throughout the manufacturing process. This insertion press will give the fabricator, the quality he demands with a very fast payback time on the initial investment."
To help make the operator's job easier, a laser part locating light using a red cross hair laser to show precisely where each fastener should be inserted is included, whilst a digital camera interface imports images of each fastener position on finished components into the equipment's parts program for future re-call.
Haeger's InsertionGraphicsTM software provides a visual guide to the insertion process. Full colour component images can be displayed on the computer touch screen with each fastener position on a component being displayed with a colour coded flashing dot. Different colours identify different types of insertions.
Haeger's InsertionLogic® software enables the operator to store different job specifications, whilst a fastener library allows jobs to be set up effectively and quickly.
For further information:
Voith Turbo: With the PSH Press Drive, the Rutesheim-based hydraulics specialist Voith Turbo H + L Hydraulic has landed a real coup: a hydraulic drive without conventional valve technology transforms any press into a servo press.Building Hydraulic Servo Presses without Conventional Valve Technology - no Problem with the Voith PSHWith the PSH Press Drive, the Rutesheim-based hydraulics specialist Voith Turbo H + L Hydraulic has landed a real coup: a hydraulic drive without conventional valve technology transforms any press into a servo press. And this is not all: with the PSH, press operators save up to 50% in energy costs. An intelligent control system allows highly flexible application of the press. Productivity thus increases and the quality of the finished parts is significantly improved. In the PSH hydraulic press drive, conventional valve and control technology is replaced by a servo pump. The servo pump delivers a variable volume flow, has very high dynamics and low noise emissions. This concept allows optimum adaptation of power and speed to the pressing process. It also simplifies the design of the press drive without impairing functionality and performance. The PSH can be easily integrated into the press and is suitable for both new systems and retrofits. Other advantages are low costs for commissioning, training and maintenance. Elaborate sensors for parameter monitoring ensure high diagnostic functionality and allow preventive maintenance. Press operators benefit from this by high availability and improved operating safety.
Voith Turbo, the specialist for hydrodynamic drive, coupling and braking systems for road, rail and industrial applications, as well as for ship propulsion systems, is a Group Division of Voith GmbH. Voith is setting the standard in the paper, energy, mobility, and service markets. Established on January 1, 1867, Voith is now one of the largest family-owned businesses in Europe, with 39 000 employees, 5.1 billion Euro in sales, and over 280 locations worldwide. Voith is an official partner of the initiative "Germany - Land of Ideas".
Press Release number: 01519SHEAR Thursday, 14th October 2010
NEW COIL FEEDING LINE FOR HIGH STRENGTH LOW ALLOY STEELS FROM SHEAR-FORM
A new Dimeco Alipresse coil feeding line for 8mm thick HSLA (High Strength Low Alloy) steel, which provides better mechanical properties or greater resistance to corrosion than carbon steel and used in the manufacture of cars, trucks, cranes, bridges and other structures handling large amounts of stress, is now available from Shear-Form Machine Tools Ltd, the Coventry based sheet metal and plate working machinery supplier and sole UK representative for Dimeco Alipresse
This new coil feeding line overcomes the problems that can occur for fine blanking specialists when decoiling HSLA steels with yield strengths up to 1,200Mpa. It provides complete operator safety with high performance ratios handling 1,600mm diameter coils weighing up to 4,500kg in widths from 40 - 200mm and steel thickness up to 8mm. The operating speed can be up to 12m/minute.
Advantages of using this line include, strip that is secured during strapping and un-strapping, strip insertion up to the tool inlet is fully automatic without operator involvement, and the strip is closely monitored whilst decoiling and recoiling with an additional measuring wheel monitoring the actual strip feeding movement.
Other features include adjustment of coil centering during automatic operations, the component part program is able to trigger an automatic configuration of the line parameters, decoiling and straightener jog modes are controlled from one panel on the press terminal plus the decoiling line can be controlled using the press control terminal.
Atkin Automation to show new cost reducing products at MACH 2010
Thetford, Norfolk: Atkin Automation will be exhibiting three new products on its stand at MACH 2010 [4860 - Hall D] to be held at the NEC, Birmingham, from 7 - 11 June 2010.
Atkin Automation has an international reputation for its range of specialist high performance coil handling and processing products, and its new Smart Roll Feed will be on show for the first time. This features a number of in-built safeguards which provide operator confirmation that it is safe to commence feeding, thereby preventing expensive damage to tooling.
Companies which already use Atkin Automation's transformer core lines will find the upgraded system software of particular interest as it provides greater productivity and product options from existing equipment.
Also on show for the first time will be the Sandsun range of quick die change elements, for which Atkin Automation has recently been appointed the exclusive UK supplier.
A quick die change element can be used in a wide variety of machine engineering applications for a SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies) and facilitates a sub 10 minute tool changeover.
SMED is a method of reducing press down time during product tooling change-over, and it enables a single press operator to complete the entire process. Importantly, system hydraulics enable quick and consistent clamping after the SMED has been carried out.
At a typical system cost of £5,000 ex vat [8 clamps, one power unit, 2 die arms], the pay-back period can be very short for many factories where current production line costs are often upwards of £800 per hour.
Atkin Automation Managing Director Chris Ward is cautiously optimistic about the coming months, saying:
"We have seen a number of encouraging signs of sales growth since the beginning of the year, but it is still a little spasmodic. The new products which we will be exhibiting at MACH 2010 will help manufacturers take cost out of their production processes, and our customers are telling us that such reductions are vitally important to industrial recovery."
For further information contact:
Chris Ward or Nigel Tompkins
Atkin Automation Limited New Ideas for Business
T: +44 (0) 1842 753521 +44 (0) 1263 713070
F: +44 (0) 1842 763614 +44 (0) 1263 712060
E: cward@atkinautomation.com nigel@ni4b.co.uk
Atkin Automation appointed exclusive UK Sandsun supplier
Thetford, Norfolk: Atkin Automation has been appointed as the exclusive UK supplier of the Taiwanese Sandsun range of quick die change elements.
A quick die change element can be used in a wide variety of machine engineering applications for a SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies) and facilitates a sub 10 minute tool changeover. SMED is a method of reducing press down time during product tooling change-over, and it enables a press operator to complete the entire process single handedly. Importantly, system hydraulics enable quick and consistent clamping after the SMED has been carried out.
Atkin Automation Managing Director Chris Ward is pleased to have secured this exclusive supply arrangement with Sandsun, saying:
" We supply the Atkin, BHP and Shung Dar ranges of specialist, high performance coil handling and processing products and equipment to a number of UK industry sectors, so we have the experience and the contacts to successfully market the Sandsun range."
He continued: " As UK manufacturers climb out of recession, they are looking for ways to remove cost from the production processes, and minimising downtime in a busy press shop environment can make a major contribution to achieving demanding production output targets. We are expecting a very positive response to our initial sales and marketing campaign."
Visitors to the MACH 2010 exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham from 7-11 June 2010 will be able to learn more about the Sandsun range by visiting Atkin Automation's stand - 4860 in Hall D.
