Re-built to Order

Capacity Increased on older feed line

When the management of Hudson Industries (Hudson, IN) found that the company needed press feeding equipment that could handle a broader range of material sizes than what its present equipment was capable of, they looked no further than one of their sister company’s used feed lines. This brought about many benefits, including added versatility and a substantial financial savings (when compared to buying new equipment).

Hudson Industries’ (a division of Midway Products) primary operations include die stamping, piercing, roll forming, robotic gas metal ARC welding and tube bending. Among its products are hitch components and door rail assemblies, produced for customers that include Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Hudson Industries has five sister companies scattered throughout Ohio and Indiana.

One of those sister companies is Progressive Stamping ( Ottoville, Ohio). Since 1999, Progressive Stamping had been operating a press equipped with press feeding equipment from Coe Press Equipment ( Sterling Heights, Mich.). The line included a 54” AC servo drive digital rollfeed (CPRF-654), dual threading table (CPDTT-5412), 4” x 54” freestanding power straightener (CPPS-400-54), and a 40,000-lb., 54” coil reel (CPR-PO-40054). When executives at Hudson Industries discovered their need for more versatile press feeding equipment, they decided to have Coe retrofit the line at Progressive Stamping and transfer it to their facility.

The rebuilt line, which works in conjunction with a 600-ton Verson press, is now capable of feeding materials as thick as .250” at a width of 36”, compared to the previous maximum capacity of .210” thick at a width of 24”. The threading table was upgraded to accommodate a loop pit, if ever required. The power straightener’s drive and motor were enhanced to 40 horsepower, as well as other various additions to increase capacity for heavier gauges and faster feed rates.

However, the versatility that Hudson Industries was striving for with the new line was not achieved immediately. The rebuilt line’s larger rollers caused some complications when processing thinner materials.

“The thinnest material we run on that press is .032” x 33” wide,” said Don Louvier, Hudson Industries’ maintenance manager. “That’s extremely thin for a feeder with large-diameter rolls on it.”

When the thinner materials were fed to the press, the large-diameter rolls caused them to stretch. To remedy this, Coe designed a clutch system for the coil reel that prevented the stretching of thinner materials.

“Coe was extremely forthcoming in coming up with this solution,” Louvier said. “Since they made the change, we’ve had no issues with it.”

As far as thicker materials are concerned, Hudson Industries can now feed the press with high-strength HLS 60 material that is nearly .250” thick and 11” wide. A peeler/threader/hold-down system upgrade for hands-free material threading was added to prevent hooking at the end of thicker coils, thereby reducing waste. Louvier says the company is extremely pleased with the new line’s widened range of capabilities.

“If we used a feeder that was designed for a smaller material range, we would need multiple feed systems and multiple presses to satisfy our broad requirements,” Louvier said. “But this Coe feed system gives us those ranges with just one piece of equipment.”

The line’s operators have also found that the retrofitted line’s servo feed controls are easier to use. The line is now equipped with Coe’s ServoMaster controls and a Yaskawa drive. Louvier says operators of the previous controls were constantly having difficulties maintaining feed rates. He says Coe’s controls have cured any problems.

“Operators have found the line very easy to set up,” Louvier said. “It has a system where it will set up its own ramping speed depending upon your feed rates. You just plug in your recipe and go.”

Along with increased versatility in operations, Hudson Industries also benefited financially from choosing a rebuilt line versus purchasing a new one. Louvier estimates that rebuilding an existing press feed line saved the company about $600,000 that would have been needed to buy a new press and hundreds of thousands of dollars more that would have been needed for new feeding equipment. Louvier added that the rebuilt line’s versatility will continue to save the company money.

“Because we can use the same press for multiple groupings of materials, we don’t have to have multiple presses, which keeps our overhead and capital expenses down,” Louvier said.

As a Coe customer, Hudson Industries has access to Coe’s service department, which Louvier raves about. Coe is extremely prompt when calling us back with the answers I need,” Louvier said. “Their people have been with them for many years and are all very knowledgeable.”

Louvier recalls an instance where he called Coe’s 24-hour support line on a Saturday evening and received a return phone call within three minutes. He said that he had a solution to his problem within a half-hour, preventing a major breakdown in operations. Louvier said that Coe’s response time far exceeded his expectations since he is used to waiting four to five hours for other companies to respond to a call for support.

Hudson Industries operates another press that is fed by 60” Coe feed line. The great experience that the company has had with the retrofitted 54” line prompted a decision to have Coe rebuild the 60” line to correct some problems it has had processing heavier materials. Louvier said that Coe has already suggested a design solution for the retrofit, which includes larger bearing surfaces, larger journals and larger gear surfaces.

“I’m looking forward to these changes,” Louvier said. “They’ll help us out a lot with future capability offerings to our customers.”

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