|
Direct
Coil Feeding of
Transfer Presses Yields
Significant Savings
In a transfer
press, the fundamental requirement of upstream equipment is to handle
the material and present it to the press with the requisite precision
to optimize all downstream operations. In short, the choice of feeding
coil stock or blanks as well as the choice of the associated feeding equipment
is vital to overall stamping efficiency. Direct coil feeding of transfer
presses generates a long list of cost savings and quality improvements
for today's pressrooms. Such enhancements include saving time, improving
tooling performance, higher part and process quality, and lower overall
costs.
Feeding
sheets or blanks requires a decision: either obtain them from a steel
service center or cut them to length in house. Compared to either choice,
direct coil feeding can eliminate the time and costs of maintaining blanking
lines and tooling as well as storing, moving, and loading the blanks themselves.
Sheets or blanks also are approximately 10% more expensive than coils
due to these associated operations. A projected annual volume of 150,000
pieces for a particular part would require approximately 500 stacks of
blanks, but only 50 coils. This reduces by a factor of 10 the associated
costs of receiving, tagging, handling, and storing raw material.
The costs
for designing and procuring blanking dies can also be eliminated, a cost
savings of up to $50,000 in some cases. Conventional coil processing equipment
can now be combined with specialized cut-to-length and material-handling
options that can process a wide variety of blank shapes and present them
precisely to the first station of a transfer press.
Direct coil
feeding can also increase overall quality. Producing blanks at a remote
location involves cut-to-length equipment that unwinds, straightens, cuts,
and stacks blanks. Direct coil feeding can accomplish the same thing,
then present a customized blank directly to the first tooling station
in a transfer press. Reducing the possibility of picking up any dirt,
oils, or other foreign materials from blanks being stored in warehouses
extends tool life and improves the quality of stamped parts.
Numerous
Coe Press Equipment customers in and outside the United States in industries
from appliances and automotive to off-road vehicles and heavy equipment
components are realizing the savings and benefits of direct coil feeding.
A white paper comparing the technical and operational procedures of processing
a common part by blanks vs. direct coil feeding, with related costs, also
is available.
About The Company
Coe Press
Equipment Corporation, with headquarters in Sterling Heights, Michigan,
is a leading producer of pressroom feed equipment including servo roll
feeds, power straighteners, coil reels and cradles, and complete coil
processing systems. They also design and engineer fully-integrated coil
processing systems for metal stamping and processing operations.
For more
information, contact Jim Ward at Coe Press Equipment Corporation, 40549
Brentwood, Sterling Heights, MI 48310, (586) 979-4800, fax (586) 979-2970.
Back
to Top
|
