Flexible Roll-Up and Laser Welding of Stainless Steel Laundry Appliance Drums and Baskets

Coldwater Machine Company (Coldwater, OH) now offers their Roll-Up and Laser Weld Module for the fabricating of clothes washer and dryer drums and baskets, or other round sheet metal wrappers. Based upon a standard Coldwater-developed process, each system may be modified to suit customer requirements. The process from coil stock to finished basket or drum has been automated with a flexible and modular approach that allows on-the-fly automatic changeover to different part diameters and heights for improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

The process begins with a servo-controlled de-coiler that feeds stainless steel through a straightener into a proprietary trimming press. Here the material is sheared to the specified sheet lengths and edges are prepared for the laser welding process. The material is automatically fed into the roll up and laser weld module that rolls the sheet into a hoop-shaped wrapper, which will become the basket or drum and the joint is then seam-welded with a laser in a single operation. This eliminates double handling of the part as in traditional processes and leads to improved quality and throughput. Laser welded parts are now ready for secondary operations such as spin forming and closure assembly. The laser welding systems can handle either CO2 or fiber delivered lasers. Quality is greatly improved with in-line 100 percent scanning and inspection of the weld joint. These systems apply continuous inward pressure to keep the gap tight, as well as strong top and bottom clamping force throughout the weld process.

The modular Roll-Up and Laser Weld system may be incorporated into existing manufacturing processes or coupled with other modules to provide a turnkey solution. In addition to stainless steel, the Roll-Up and Laser Weld module can handle a variety of materials, including cold-rolled, pre-painted, stainless, galvanized, or other sheet metals and various material thicknesses. A

Coldwater Machine Company, 911 North Second Street, Coldwater, OH 45828-8736, 419-678-4877, www.coldwatermachine.com.