http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_TechCell.cfm The Press Feeding tech cell is packed with specific links to help you find product information, suppliers, technical articles, case studies, seminars and conferences, as well as books, software, and videos on metal fabricating-related topics. en-us http://www.thefabricator.com/RSS/images/thefabricator_rss.gif http://www.thefabricator.com Copyright 2007 FMA Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. official publication date Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:16:42 AM CDT Vicki Bell Laurie Harshbarger http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=1248 A press feed must not only move the proper amount of material into the tool, it must position it correctly into the die—front to back, side to side, and square with the tool. In this case, it must also gently handle prepainted coil to prevent scratching it. Over the last decade or longer, major technology shifts in how stamping presses are fed have occurred. As press feed technology continues to evolve, stampers are realizing increased processing speeds, improved processing flexibi... Bruce Grant Tue, 07 Feb 2006 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=1209 High-strength steel (HSS) rapidly is becoming a popular material for the automotive industry. Why? With its higher tensile and yield strengths, HSS is stronger at all gauges than conventional mild steels. Initially light-gauge HSS was used to replace heavy-gauge mild steel to reduce weight in many automotive parts, and this continues to be the most widely used application for HSS. However, a growing trend is to run thicker and thicker gauges of HSS. As this trend continues, stamping fab... John Heuring Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=802 Most of the parts are stamped out of light-gauge metals. “On the majority of our machines, we’re feeding 0.0040 inch and less,” said Dan Partin, senior process engineer at Whirlpool. Partin reported that the company had noticed excessive downtime on some of its key presses that were running for three shifts. “That’s what first alerted me to the fact that there was a problem on the floor,” he said. “We went in and said, &... Kate Bachman, Associate Editor Tue, 13 Jan 2004 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=650 Modern Coil-fed Presses Stamping processes revolve around two basic styles of tooling, transfer and progressive dies. They both require feed-to-length systems but differ in many key areas. Blanking processes could be added but are progressive in nature. Transfer tooling requires material to be fed into a press and through the tooling, severing the amount of material required to make a blank that is then transferred to the next operation. This transfer occurs within the same press or into a... Ted Sberna, Contributing Writer Thu, 24 Jul 2003 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=595 Photo courtesy of Hanna Steel Corp., Fairfield, Ala. Think delicate: an antique vase, velvet gloves, the sweet sound of string music. Then imagine a typical stamping operation: bam-bam, metal on metal, all day long. OK, now put those two together. Voilà—you’ve got the bull-polishing-the-fine-china mentality of a prefinished-metal stamping operation. As customers demand flawless surfaces and production schedules demand speed and power, stampers are playing a game that ... Lincoln Brunner, Contributing Writer Thu, 29 May 2003 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=474 In most cases, a press feed must meet three criteria to be successful. First, it must be flexible in terms of setup. Second, it must deliver the material with sufficient precision into the tool, and third, it must feed at the proper time. Other important considerations that determine the effectiveness of a feed are the time and skill required for setup, the cost of energy to operate it, and how the feed interfaces with the system as a whole. A feed must be flexible enough in its setup ad... Bruce Grant, Contributing Writer Thu, 12 Jul 2001 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=458 The two basic press feed types commonly in use today are roll feeds and gripper feeds. Roll feeds, as the name implies, use rollers to move the material into the tool, while gripper feeds employ gripping clamps and a linear motion to move the strip. Both types of press feeds can be powered by the press, by a self-contained drive system (such as air- or hydraulic-powered), or by a servo-drive system. Roll Feeds Press-driven. Feeds that are driven by the press, such as rack-and-pinion or... Jim Ward, Contributing Writer Thu, 10 Jan 2002 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=278 The maximum operating speed of a stamping operation should be limited, in theory, only by the maximum number of strokes per minute (SPM) that the press can achieve. In reality, production speed is limited by other factors as well. For instance: 1. The uncoiler may not unwind fast enough to keep up with the press. 2. The straightener may be too slow. 3. The feed may not run accurately - - if at all - - at higher speeds. 4. Die and product tolerances can make running at high speed... Al Lochtefeld, Contributing Writer Tue, 19 Feb 2002 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/PressFeeding/PressFeeding_Article.cfm?ID=215 You're an industrial engineer working in a large stamping facility, and your boss has just asked you to automate the entire process of producing a part that runs across four independently operated presses. To make things tougher, this workcell can't be dedicated to only one part; it must be flexible enough to run other products. You've spent the last seven years working for a Tier 1 automotive supplier, and you've automated several cells for high-volume parts. How do you now b... David J. Wage, Contributing Writer Thu, 27 Jun 2002 12:00:00 AM CDT