Heavy-Gauge Straightener for Heavy Vehicle Component Manufacturers
Automatic Feed’s heavy-gauge straightener processes coiled steel up to 78 inches wide and a half-inch thick at speeds of up to 150 feet per minute. The machine’s performance results in consistent quality, reliability, and accuracy.
Posted: October 8, 2020
Designed for processing coiled steel up to 0.50 inches (12 mm) thick, heavy-gauge straighteners from Automatic Feed Co. (AFCO) (Napoleon, OH) process coils up to 78 inches wide at up to 150 feet per minute. The machine’s robust construction and high capacity make it well-suited for manufacturers of heavy-gauge steel components such as truck and automotive frames, wheels, and other heavy vehicle components.
The straightener’s heavy-duty construction withstands the excessive forces required to effectively process heavy-gauge materials such as hot-rolled steel, cold- rolled steel, mild steel, HSLA steel, AHSS, prelubricated materials, dry-lube materials, among others.
Nine work rolls — four upper and five lower — at a diameter of 6.75 inches ensure precision flattening. All rolls are driven through a common gearbox with multiple output shafts, a design feature that helps prevent material slippage that causes quality problems.
A kicker roll located after the work rolls helps remove upturn from reverse-wrapped coils. The kicker roll is very beneficial when processing these products because upturn tends to be more prevalent in heavy-gauge materials. The addition of kicker rolls can also make threading heavy-gauge materials easier.
Each of the entry and exit sides of the machine features an independent pinch roll unit where the material is driven into and pulled from the machine. Each pinch roll unit is individually driven by a 75 HP AC servo motor. The pinch rolls open/close with near/far side hydraulically actuated cylinders. These cylinders have proportional pressure regulating valves that can be programmed per part recipe. Both the entry and exit pinch rolls, 12 inches in diameter, are separately driven and electronically speed-matched with the straightener work rolls.
The straighteners are equipped to run as an integrated straightener before a loop or supplied with an effectively sized drive train to run as a combination feeder-straightener. Solutions for running thick heavy gauge materials are supplied based upon the customer’s production needs.
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