COE Press Equipment upgraded equipment for a lawnmower manufacturer where the company manufacturers 4,000 Craftsmen lawnmowers a day. We analyzed the 15+ year-old line and proposed a series of upgrades as well as presenting the cost of new equipment replacement. With the upgrades representing about 55% of the cost of new, the customer chose this plan of action.

Equipment upgrades included changing the reel from traveling to stationary, replacing the stationary coil lift with a traveling coil car, a new heavy duty peeler-threader hold down station and a new threading table. Additionally, individual components such as straightener bearings, rolls, gears and idler shafts were replaced as needed. 

New configurations and line modifications included changing the direction of the reel and straightener, changing the straightener from an “incline” head to standard, changing from an overhead loop to a standard loop area, relocating all operator controls for the new feed direction, and repairing damage to straightener keyways.

Additionally, the entire system was upgraded to a new ServoMaster Controller and motorized passline height adjustment to improve set-up and reliability of the servo-feed.

All combined, this $150,000 in upgrades will provide the company with another 15+ years of dependable performance, plus save them about $125,000 additional money that new equipment would have required.

As Seen in STAMPING JOURNAL® NOV / DEC 2014

Advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) is composed of complex steel chemistries and thermomechanical properties that improve strength and ductility. It is this improved strength that allows the use of thinner (and therefore lighter) gauges and so addresses some of the challenges of lightweighting vehicles because it can reduce mass while maintaining strength to meet NHTSA safety standards (see CAFE Standards, NHTSA, and AHSS).

This higher yield strength of AHSS presents challenges to metal stampers in terms of formability and a greater tendency to retain coil set. These materials also have wider tolerances on their yield strength, yet narrower tolerances between their yield and tensile strength. Therefore, the force required to yield and form the material cannot be excessive because of the potential to take the material past its tensile strength.

Stamping AHSS typically requires increased forces, which can adversely affect tooling as well as amplify vibrations that can potentially damage the dies and even the press. Over the past decade, task forces have been formed to develop guidelines that help stampers gain the knowledge they need to help deal with these challenges in terms of the die and stamping process.

However, to successfully process AHSS, stampers need to look at every aspect of the stamping line, including the press feeding operations and, in particular, the straightening equipment and process.

Read the full article at: STAMPING JOURNAL