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Auto stamper gets two coil feed lines for the size of one

Selectable-loop feeder offers better fit, function for thin-gauge material

Automotive seating manufacturer Adient resolved a problem feeding thin-gauge material by installing a dual-loop feed system that allows the coil to run in space-saver mode or traditional mode.

If you drive, chances are you’ve been seated in Adient’s stamped components and welded assemblies for automotive seat frames (see Figure 1). The $17 billion company seats drivers of Ford’s, Toyota’s, Honda’s, Kia’s, Volkswagen’s, and other automakers’ vehicles.

Adient’s automotive stampings and welded assemblies plant in Athens, Tenn., was having trouble with the fit and function of its coil feeding system. Not only did the 500-employee plant need space-saving designs in its 276,000-square-foot facility, it had trouble with accuracy and reliability—especially on thin-gauge materials.

Like most stamping manufacturers supplying the automotive industry, Adient was forming thin, high-strength steel (HSS)—as thin as 0.4 millimeters—with increasing frequency. The seating’s back panels between structural side members are formed of thin-gauge material, for example.

The existing space-saver feed lines no longer were fitting the company’s needs. “We were having a lot of trouble feeding real thin materials accurately and reliably,” said Bill Stansberry, focus factory manager for stamping at the plant. The material was sliding on the mandrel and getting deformed.

In addition, the stamper was having to form materials on the high end of the thickness range as well, Stansberry said. “On the old units, we were even having trouble threading the thicker-gauge steels due to the strength, thickness, and angle at which the steel entered the feed rollers.”

Exacerbating the situation was that the company operates 24/7. “This is a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week stamping operation,” Stansberry said. “We don’t have time for downtime, other than our regular PM [preventive maintenance.]”

Rebuild or New?

The company investigated doing complete rebuilds, Stansberry said. That would have meant replacing motors, controls, drives, mechanical bearings, hydraulics, and resurfacing rollers … “the whole nine yards. We decided it made sense to look at getting two new coil feed units for our two transfer presses.”

The team started evaluating what they needed from new feed lines. “We needed to cover a very broad range of material thicknesses. We needed something that would not damage the material. We needed a robust, heavy-duty piece of equipment for our 24/7 operation. We basically listed general specifications and requirements and sat down with our feed equipment supplier, Dallas Industries, and discussed how to best meet those needs,” he said.

With a rough plan and line drawings in hand, Stansberry shared the plans with the operators to get their input, and made revisions accordingly. Then he met with the equipment supplier again and went over the finer points of the plan.

Flexible Loop Control Fits the Bill

Adient chose two new Dallas Industries LoopSelect SpaceSaver™ feed lines (see lead photo) for two of its transfer presses (see Figure 2). The compact and flexible feed lines have a selectable loop control that is a good fit for the stamper’s needs to run both very thin- and thick-gauge materials.

Figure 1
Adient’s stamped components and welded assemblies are installed in Ford’s, Toyota’s, Honda’s, Kia’s, Volkswagen’s, and other automakers’ vehicles.

The front loop mode allows Adient to process light-gauge material at long feed lengths and higher speeds. The back loop mode allows the company to process heavy-gauge materials using a clock-spring loop that forms beneath the coil, according to the OEM.

“The dual-loop feed system allows us to run very thin materials in the front loop mode, and when we get above 0.090 or 0.100 inch thick, we switch to a back loop mode that handles thicker materials in a compact position,” Stansberry said.

“When we’re running the front loop, the material comes directly off the top of the coil and hangs in a shallow loop between the decoiler and the feeder itself. The thread table drops down so the front loop is in position like a traditional feeder. You don’t have the coil set and it runs without damaging the thinner materials.

“When we run thick material in the back loop, the extra material in that loop winds directly underneath, then back up over the coil.” The weight of the thick-gauge steel holds it down so it can run in the back loop mode effectively, he said. The threading table can be in an up position and feeds like a space-saver.

Light-gauge materials don’t run well in the back mode without problems, Stansberry reported. “On the original feed line, we didn’t have a choice. Everything had to run on the back loop.”

Both feeders have a 40,000-lb. capacity. One is 60 in. wide and the other is 72 in. wide. 

The manufacturer increased capacity to the 40,000-lb. feed line to power the heavier coil. Its 40-HP drive enables rewinding coil in a safe manner, he said. “Part of upscaling the size and HP of the system was not only to provide capacity, but to upsize frames so that we have a very solid feed line. It will run for quite a few years without issues,” Stansberry said.

The first feed line was installed in January 2016 and the second in April 2016. “Once the decision was made, we had to implement these fairly quickly,” Stansberry said.

Other Material Handling Features

Dallas Industries recommended some other equipment and features to help manage a range of material thickness, as well as HSS, Stansberry said.

Nine-roll Configuration. One was to make use of a nine-roll, rather than five- or seven-roll, straightener.

Figure 2
Adient stamps many of its complex seating components on transfer presses.

“With the move to higher-strength steels, the additional straightener rolls help us control the flatness of the steels,” he said.

Coil Guides. Another feature that Stansberry likes is the coil guide system mounted on the back that guides the steel onto the coil (see Figure 3). “On our older feed lines, a retaining arm basically slid on and off the mandrel of the decoiler. It was dangerous, particularly when we had to pull out a thick-gauge or thin, high-strength material. Rewinding the coil back onto the mandrel, banding it, and getting it off was something of an adventure. We had special procedures that we had to follow which were very laborious and time-consuming.”

On the new system, a roller comes down on each side of the decoiler and keeps the steel safely secured in place without the operator having to lift and install the coil retainers on each side. “When you set your coil width and load the coil, it brings it right to the back coil guide, and then the front coil guide drops down to provide support on the outside of the coil” (see Figure 4).

He added, “It is safer, it is ergonomically better, it’s a great feature.” The company has now installed the coil guides on its entire line of coil feeders.

Customized. The feed system was customized for the stamper’s needs. “The coil car was engineered to travel farther than usual to help us remove smaller coils. The hold-down arms travel down farther so we can get a hold of them and control a coil from the top side while we rewind it.”

Results: No Problems

Although initially some challenges arose during implementation in terms of training the operators and people getting used to the system, now Adient has attained the best result possible: no problems. “The strongest point of the feed system is that we’re not down. Production is not interrupted by the feeders at all.

“I’ve had virtually no feed issues on either one of those presses since we installed the feed lines. There’s just a night and day difference on the performance,” Stansberry said.

In fact, the team is now focusing on improving the reliability of the presses and other system equipment to bring them up to speed with the feed lines, he said. “Everything we set out to address was addressed by those two feed lines. The installation solved the problems we were having.”

Photos courtesy of Adient US LLC, Athens, Tenn.

Adient US LLC—Athens, 423-746-5657, www.adient.com

Dallas Industries, 248-583-9400, www.dallasindustries.com

About the Author

Kate Bachman

Contributing editor

815-381-1302

Kate Bachman is a contributing editor for The FABRICATOR editor. Bachman has more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor in the manufacturing and other industries.