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Hydraulic forming press draws tough alloys

Greenerd Press & Machine Co. Inc., Nashua, N.H., has constructed an "engineered to fit" 75-ton hydraulic forming press for a medical device manufacturer. The press, engineered for a forming process producing titanium blanks to a critical final specification, has helped reduce scrap, the company reports.

The press's 35-ton cushion cylinder also is used as a knockout. The secondary ram-mounted, 20-ton cushion/eject has proportionally controlled speed for the eject function. The press provides hydraulic clamping for quick tooling changeover, as well as RFID of tooling to prevent the use of incorrect tool sets and tool program mismatch. Closed-loop control of the tooling heaters, using a Watlow temp controller, facilitates each part being drawn at the same temperature (600 degrees F) within a tolerance of ±1 degree.

The press is capable of multiple dwell positions and times during each cycle, and it features extremely slow closed-loop processing speed control for drawing tough alloys such as titanium. The main ram has two pressing circuits, offering a fast press configuration that is adjustable from 7.2 to 36 IPM and a slow press setup that is adjustable from 0.2 to 2.0 IPM.

The touchscreen control integrates all press and tool controls, including process trending and troubleshooting feedback.