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Diemaker builds field of dreams with large transfer press system

Now runs rings around competition

Saturn Tool & Die installed a new 2,750-ton, 240- by 96-inch transfer press to make its foray into production stamping in the large-part category for automotive.

Three years ago, with zero booked production business, tool and diemaker, Saturn Tool and Die (Windsor), Inc., bought a brand new 2,750-ton, 240- by 96-inch transfer press. The high-dollar, high-risk investment was an “If you build it, they will come” story if there ever was one. “They” came.

“What happened was after the financial crisis of 2008, and the continued outsourcing of dies to emerging markets like China and Korea, die building just went downhill, and it was really tough to acquire new work,” said Joe Lucente, general manager of the Windsor, Ont., manufacturer. Like most manufacturers in Windsor, Saturn’s primary market is automotive. Its die expertise is in large transfer press work for that market.

“We decided that we needed to diversify and not depend so much on strictly die build, so the peaks and valleys wouldn’t be as severe,” added Barry Copus, operations manager.

“We reviewed our options, and all agreed that getting into production would be the best course of action. We also knew that there would be a huge demand for production sources due to the pent up demand resulting from the crisis of 2008.” Lucente said.

Happily, the new press very quickly filled up with takeover and new work and now is close to full capacity.

Transfer Press Installation

Saturn installed an Eagle Press & Equipment Co. press with a Linear Transfer Automation Inc. transfer system, coil feeder, and specially designed de-stacker (see Lead Image).

The heavy-duty transfer system can accommodate a range of blank sizes from 78- by 50-in. (feed direction) to 18- by 10-in. and blank thicknesses of 0.8 to 3.0 millimeters. It has a dual-blank load station.

With the push of a button, the whole de-stacker automatically moves to allow the coil feeder to move into position.  This makes the change from blanks to coil feed a more efficient process, Copus said.

The servo de-stacker unit is equipped with a single overhead pick and place head, a vacuum pickup system, dual robotic manual quick connect tooling for end effectors and servo-powered actuators. The maximum payload is 125 pounds—blanks and tooling.

Saturn company management chose a transfer system rather than a prog die press for three reasons, Lucente said. “First, transfer dies are what we build here.” Management wanted to leverage the many years of expertise already gained.

Secondly, management thought that a high-tonnage transfer press would help distinguish the manufacturer from the competition. “It’s more specialized. We thought transfer capabilities were needed in the marketplace for the large parts, thick-gauge, aluminum parts and high-strength, dual-phase materials,” Lucente said. The 2,750-ton press empowers Saturn to stamp very large and complex components needing high tonnage such as hoods, tops, and pillars. It is one of the largest and most flexible transfer press systems in southwestern Ontario, he surmises.

For the first six months or so after the transfer system and press were installed, a few adjustments had to be made. “Everything was very minor. Nothing major,” Lucente said.

Equipped for Flexibility, Strength, Speed

The transfer system is very flexible, Lucente said. “Because we’re a job shop, we’ve got to be able to take anything that’s out there. We specialize in very complicated parts out of high-strength steels [HSS] and aluminum. That’s why we decided to buy equipment that would stamp the full range of blank sizes from 20 in. wide to as high as 72 in.

The system runs very fast for a transfer line. “It runs up to 30 strokes per minute. That’s really significant, especially when you’re running, two-and-a-half to three million strokes a year. The speed in which you can produce a high-quality part makes us more competitive in this market” Copus said.

Saturn installed an underground scrap collection system that can handle both steel and aluminum scrap.

With an eye on the future, Saturn decided to purchase an 11-roll straightener/leveler to handle high-strength steels (HSS) for present and future market opportunities.

In addition, Saturn actually built its own nitrogen cushion. “For the first station, we couldn’t buy a cushion with enough tonnage. So we designed and built our own cushion that will stamp 260 tons on the first station. We can handle HSS really well,” Copus said.

The Jobs Roll In

Saturn’s first stamping job was to supplement production because the customer had run out of capacity.

“Our customer was preparing for a new minivan. They needed some capacity. This was actually a customer that we had barely done any business with, but they heard about our processes in a local paper and asked if we could accommodate their tools,” Copus said.

It was for a rear rail and the blanks were laser-welded, 72 inches long. “So it just fit. We said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ And that turned into a six-month job,” Copus said.

To date, Saturn has 18 jobs in the press. Because its primary business is building complicated transfer dies and company personnel have extensive knowledge of the mechanics of a transfer tool, it was able to adapt. “Because of this knowledge, we were able to tool up and take on a wide variety of parts,” Copus said.

The additional work that the transfer press brought in necessitated the need to hire 25 more employees—one-third of the company’s current 75-people workforce. The government of Ontario awarded Saturn a grant for 10 percent of the total project cost in anticipation of the job creation.

Leap of Faith

Saturn Tool and Die (Windsor) Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The large transfer press installation isn’t the first leap of faith in the company’s 50-year history.

“You’ve probably heard the old tale about an immigrant coming from Italy with 10 bucks in his pocket and dreams of building a better life in his new country. Our company founder, Frank Ventrella, lived that story. He came over at 16 years old, learned the tool-and-die trade, and started with a little shop, a couple of thousand square feet,” Lucente said.

“Our building capacity is at 75,000 square feet. We have plans to expand in the future to increase die build revenue and production capacity,” Lucente said.

Thanks to the sage decision to purchase the transfer press system in a leap of faith, the immigrant dream story has a happy ending.

Linear Transfer Automation Inc., www.lineartransfer.com

Saturn Tool & Die (Windsor) Inc., sales@stdwi.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.