The Evolving Press Room

The growing demand for shorter production runs, using high-strength materials to make more complex parts with higher precision at faster speeds, continues to spark new opportunities for the metal stamping business, but it is also making press room operations more competitive than ever, perhaps nowhere more than in the use of hydraulic press technology. More shops are learning how the speed, force and power density provided by hydraulic stamping can deliver sophisticated performance to help meet increasingly tough production demands.

Top Ten Reasons to Go Hydraulic
To meet the growing demands for smaller lots and varied applications, hydraulic press technology is faster and more reliable than ever to improve press room productivity and the bottom line.

The use of hydraulic press technology is growing, but there are also many other advances in stamping presses, coil handling equipment, automation, press controls and monitoring that are helping press rooms deliver shorter runs of high-mix parts faster and more efficiently. Let’s take a closer look at some of these:

Advanced Gap Frame Stamping Presses
The NC1-800(2)E 80 ton mechanical gap frame press and the versatile DSF-C1-800 80 ton gap frame direct-drive servo press from AIDA-America provide tight precision and versatility for the most demanding stamping operations.

Heavy-Duty Servo Feeds
More robust and capable of handling thicker materials, redesigned Heavy-Duty Servo Roll Feeds from COE Press Equipment increase speed and precision and decrease the cost of operation.

Servo-Electric Presses Change the Game
EVOx servo-electric presses from Beckwood Press range from a half-ton to 50 tons and are ideal for light-duty assembly applications, including clamping, crimping, joining, press fitting, punching/blanking, riveting, spring testing, staking, and swaging.

Innovative High-Speed Metal Forming of Microchannel Fuel Cells
To meet an annual part requirement of over one million components, the FormBalancer 25 high-speed metal forming machine from FluidForming simultaneously produces two plates in an operating cycle of 20 seconds with unprecedented accuracy, repeatability, speed, and forming capabilities.

Quick Release Roll Coater Eases Changeover and Maintenance
To improve quality, minimize waste and ease maintenance, the Spra-Rite Roll Coating system from Industrial Innovations provides precise and uniform lubricant coverage on parts prior to stamping by using a solid roll that enables the roller to be changed within minutes.

Laser Blanking at Higher Speeds on Less Than Perfectly Flat Material
To process less than perfectly flat material at higher speeds, laser blanking systems from LaserCoil now feature 8 kW fiber lasers with an integrated proprietary Z-axis design that enables the laser head to adjust more rapidly to height variations in the material and maintain consistent stand-off.

Modular Die Cushion System Extends the Life of Deep-Drawing Dies
The Modular Die Cushion System from Moog improves process reliability, reduces commissioning time, offers flexible layout options for integrating the manifold and requires comparatively little piping to help press rooms lower their maintenance and piping costs.

Metal Stamping Press Automation Controller
To improve press room stamping operations, the SmartPAC PRO controller from Wintriss Controls enables networked users to share and view the entire contents of each programmed setup on a single screen in an Industry 4.0 environment.

Smart In-Process Monitoring of Stamping and Forming Operations
Brankamp X7 “smart” in-process monitoring systems for cold and hot forming, thread rolling and stamping operations from Marposs use AI to quickly monitor machine setups and effectively control machine performance by detecting manufacturing faults, as well as part or tool variations.