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OUR MENU
Clutch/Brake
Controls
Press
Accessories
Brake
Press Controls
Machine
Guarding & Safety Systems
Punch
Presses Mechanical
Punch
Presses Hydraulic
Press
Feeding Equipment
Press
Automation
OUR SERVICES
Clutch/Brake
Controls
Metal Form Products Co. Ltd. offers a wide range of clutch/brake
controls, which are used throughout the manufacturing and processing
industries. These controls employ modern solid-state technology
to provide optimum clutch/brake performance and ease of installation.
Press
Accessories
Metal Form Products Co. Ltd. offers a wide range of press accessories,
which are used throughout the manufacturing and processing industries.
These accessories employ modern solid-state technology to provide
optimum clutch/brake performance and ease of installation.
Brake
Press Controls
Metal Form Products Co. Ltd. offers a wide range of hydraulic
and mechanical press brake controls, which are used throughout
the manufacturing and processing industries. These controls employ
modern solid-state technology to provide optimum performance and
ease of installation.
Machine
Guarding & Safety Systems
Moving machine parts have the potential for causing severe workplace
injuries, such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns,
blindness or even death. Safeguards are essential for protecting
workers from these needless and preventable injuries. Any machine
part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded.
When the operation of a machine or accidental contact with it
can injure the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards
must be either eliminated or controlled.
Punch
Presses Mechanical
Although the punching of holes is often accomplished with die
sets that also perform bending and forming, a punch press is designed
specifically for the making of various shaped holes and cutouts
on sheet metal and plate material. The punch press is fitted with
punches and dies of the size and shape of the hole required.
For irregular
and non-standard holes, the modern punch press is capable of nibbling.
This refers to a series of successive “hits” following
a predetermined pattern that creates the cutout. The punching
action is accomplished by a vertical moving ram that forces the
punch through the material and into a die through which the resulting
slug is ejected. Additionally, a device to hold the material in
place as the punch is withdrawn, call a stripper, is often an
integral part of the punch tool.
The press
ram may be activated manually, mechanically, or hydraulically.
Mechanical punch presses use a system of flywheels, gears, and
eccentrics to stroke the ram. This can generate from 8 to 60 tons
of force with some larger models creating over 150 tons. Mechanical
presses can operate faster than hydraulic models. Press Capacity
is determined by not only available tonnage, but also by effective
throat depth. This determines how large a workpiece the press
can accommodate. Throat depth is measured from the center of the
punching tool to the rear of the press. Other capacities are the
movement of the carriage on which the work is mounted and the
weight of the workpiece.
A press may
have a single tool mounting station or multiple stations mounted
in a revolving turret. Very heavy punching in plate structurals
is done in the “ironworker.” These perform cutting and
parting in addition to punching. Turret punches can hold from
12 to 70 punch assemblies and can be rotated depending on the
press type, manually or automatically with a CNC system.
Tool changing
can also be done in semi- and full automatic modes. By rapidly
revolving and presenting a specific punch to the work, the punching
speed is then determined by how fast the workpiece can be moved
and positioned under the turret. CNC punching stations can achieve
500 strokes per minute.
Punch
Presses Hydraulic
Hydraulic
presses are available in a basic program with deep-drawing presses
and large bed presses in the 1.000-120.000 kN force range. We
use optimal concepts for presses for different types of press
operations depending on the area of use. The concepts are based
on technically advanced modules of hydraulics, control systems
and frames.
The presses
can be delivered as individual machines or as components of a
complete production line. Our partner AP&T also manufactures
and markets hydroforming presses with locking forces of up to
200.000 kN.
This production
solution is suited for operation with cut blanks, circular or
rectangular, where high production speed is required.
The hydraulic
presses are equipped with large openings on each short side, which
is of great advantage during tool changes. The number of presses
in this type of production line is unlimited.
Tool set-up
in this type of installation consists of one tool per press, and
tool changes are performed quickly and easily on the short sides
of the presses.
The distance
between the presses can be made very short by using our compact
press robots equipped with four-piece transfer beams. The 2-axis
press robots move details directly from press to press.
Finished details
are handled by an automatic coordinate stacking system. A 3-axis
press robot stacks the details, and filled pallets are automatically
transported out of the plant. The plant is equipped with an operator's
panel for optimal control and supervision of the entire press
line. All the machines in the line are controlled and monitored
from this panel.
Press
Feeding Equipment
In the
majority of cases, a press feed must meet three criteria to be
successful. First, it must be flexible in terms of set up. Second,
it must deliver the material with sufficient precision into the
tool, and third, it must feed at the correct time. In addition,
there are many other important considerations that will ultimately
determine just how effective the feed will be. Some of those considerations
are the amount of time and skill required for job set up, the
cost of energy to operate it, and how the feed interfaces with
the system as a whole.
The feed needs
to be flexible enough in its set up adjustment to accommodate
the full range of applications that will ever be run on the line.
It must allow adjustment to cover all set ups respective to feed
length, material width and gauge, feed and pilot release timing
as well as die heights. If the feed is for a dedicated system
these variables will be fairly limited but, more often than not,
it must address a wide range of applications.
The second
requirement, that the feed must deliver the material with sufficient
precision into the tool, means that it must not only move the
desired amount of material into the tool, but it must place it
precisely in the die in terms of front to back, side to side,
and be square with the tool. Misalignment results in binding and
short feeds due to slippage and strip buckling. Short feeding
results in bad parts and broken dies. When they are new, nearly
any feed, if properly installed and set up, is capable of delivering
a level of length accuracy that is acceptable for most applications.
They will generally retain that accuracy if properly maintained,
but the amount of maintenance and set up time required will vary
dramatically from one type of feed to the next.
Regardless
of the feed that is chosen, when installed it must be positioned
on center, square to the tool, and be rigidly mounted so that
no movement can take place between the tool and the feed, for
it to be able to deliver material correctly without binding and
mis-feeding. In addition to proper feed installation, the tooling
must be placed precisely on each set up as well. It is recommended
that some sort of registration device, such as positive stops
on the bolster, be used to insure consistent placement of the
tooling. Without good quality material, proper straightening,
and precise alignment there will be problems regardless of what
feed is ultimately selected.
The third
requirement, that the feed deliver material at the proper time,
means that it must be capable of keeping up with the speed of
the operation. The time that a feed actually has to deliver material
is the result of the amount of time for one complete press or
shear cycle, minus the time that the tooling is engaged, minus
the time required to detect a mis-feed and stop the press. This
means that the longer the die engagement, or the faster the speed
of operation, the less time there is to feed.
Press
Automation
Metal Form is working with automotive suppliers worldwide in an
effort to find new and innovative ways to improve their current
metal forming operations. These suppliers are under ever-increasing
pressure to boost productivity, reduce waste, and increase profits.
Our partner AP&T’s conventional stamping and hydro forming
solutions, along with its complete line of press automation, provide
its customers with the latest technology with the reliability
and safety of proven designs.
Our people
are very knowledgeable about the products we provide and how to
apply them to improve your production processes. We work with
companies to improve their competitiveness in today's global market.
Whether it is a complete new press line or automating an existing
press, Metal Form can help you from part design to complete turn-key
delivery.
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