Although large organizations make national headlines and serve as Wall Street indicators, small organizations are making the kind of innovative strides that lead to business growth and robust financial performance.

Minimizing changeover times is accomplished with effective die change procedures and equipment. Applying quick die change basics is a necessity, such as standardizing die parameters and clamping, prestaging dies, and using proper tools and personnel.

Facing deep structural problems and mounting financial stress, Big Three executives publicly sought a meeting with President Bush to discuss how the federal government could assist the automotive industry, and the hundreds of thousands of Americans it employs.

Sheet hydroforming has fewer restrictions when forming complicated parts, which gives styling designers and manufacturing engineersmore flexibility during the design process. To provide a stylish body shape for the Pontiac Solstice®, GM chose sheet hydroforming to manufacture its hood, door, deck lid, and body side assemblies.

As part of its conversion from traditional to lean manufacturing principles, Oregon Metal Slitters wanted to initiate quick-changeover practices in its production operations. It also wanted to achieve this internally, without the overview of an outside consultant, so that the practice would be sustainable for the future. OMS found a SMED program from Enna Inc. that helped the company start the process right.

This column discusses several applications of servomotor-driven mechanical presses for forming at room temperature and at elevated temperatures.

Determining the best die geometry to produce multicontoured formed parts can be difficult. A full understanding of the drawing and stretching process is necessary, as well as a good understanding of all tooling factors to make complex geometries.