FEATURE ON PRESSES AND COIL HANDLING

Hot stamping of high-strength aluminium

Parts made from high-strength aluminium sheets are increasingly found in modern vehicles to save weight. Schuler now offers on its hydraulic presses a new process for hot stamping that heats this light metal very quickly by means of contact heating, with subsequent forming taking place in a water-cooled die. All process steps take place in the die so, in contrast to the hot stamping of steel sheets, no separate furnace is necessary.

“This not only reduces the space requirements for the system, but also significantly lowers investment and operating costs,” explains Christian Palm, who is responsible for the hydraulic presses division at Schuler. “Users of this technology can produce light and high-strength parts with a considerably higher degree of forming compared to cold forming, offering much greater design scope.”

It is possible to achieve highly complex geometries and a tensile strength of 300 to 400 N/mm². In the process, heating plates integrated into the first forming stage heat the 6000 or 7000 series aluminium sheet to over 300 to 450°C in a matter of seconds. In the second stage, forming takes places in a water-cooled die while the next blank heats up at the same time. In a third and fourth stage, the part, which is still at about 60°C, can be cut.

On a 1200-tonne capacity hydraulic press from Schuler operating in conjunction with a dynamic three-axis transfer system, users can achieve cycle times of just 10 seconds per part. Components are ready for further processing immediately and do not require several hours of heat treatment for hardening. The first system is already in manufacture for an automotive supplier in Asia as part of electric vehicle production.

For further information www.schulergroup.com

Group Rhodes showcases metal-forming machinery

Group Rhodes, a manufacturer of metal and composite forming machinery, demonstrated
one of its metal-forming presses within the MMMA Metal Working Village at MACH 2024 in
Birmingham last week. The Rhodes Interform product on display was designed and
manufactured in-house at the company’s Wakefield factory as part of a full turnkey solution
to produce a bespoke twin-press facility for forging forklift truck components. The entire
project, which consists of two Rhodes Interform multi-axis presses, a complete robotic
handling line and an integrated conveying system, is capable of processing the largest forks
at a rate of one every 70 seconds.
At the exhibition, Group Rhodes also discussed the global patents it has registered for its
superplastic forming and diffusion bonding technology (SPF/DB), including the territories of
China, India, USA and Europe. The solution applies extensively to the lightweighting of
components within the aerospace and automotive industries.
Operations director James Gascoigne says: “MACH 2024 gave us the opportunity to
demonstrate our latest innovations in metal-forming technology. It was our first exhibition

since we secured international patents for SPF/DB and it was a great opportunity for our
team to discuss how this technology works and its potential applications globally.”
He adds: “Given that our 19 th century patents were for improvements to the steam hammer,
it’s amazing to think that our most recent innovations are helping to form components for
spacecraft. We were very proud to showcase these innovations, especially in our 200 th
anniversary year.”
Alongside its SPF/DB technology, Group Rhodes’ knowledgeable personnel were also in
attendance to discuss the company’s extensive portfolio of machinery for the hot and cold
forming of metals and composites.
For further information www.grouprhodes.co.uk

New Bruderer installs reach record levels




A UK manufacturing boom has helped press manufacturer Bruderer UK secure its biggest pipeline of new machine orders for years. The company, which employs 12 people at its factory in Luton, recently installed its seventh new high-speed press in the past 12 months, a 50% increase on the same stage last year.

Managing Director Adrian Haller believes interest in Bruderer UK’s technology and technical know-how is soaring thanks to a concerted reshoring drive that is seeing supply chains shorten after the pandemic and domestic manufacturing becoming increasingly competitive with low-cost countries.This has seen customers from the automotive, electrification, aerospace, medical, food and construction sectors engage in a host of turnkey projects that will involve the installation of complete production lines.

Engineers from Bruderer are currently installing full turnkey high-speed press lines (from 25 to 50 tonnes) inclusive of tooling, servo feeders, decoilers, multi-way rewinders, vision systems and press and tool monitoring systems.

“There’s a real resurgence taking place and we need to talk about it more: orders are up, investment is up, and industry is desperately crying out for more workers,” explains Adrian Haller.“UK industry is bouncing back from the shackles of the pandemic. We tend to be a good barometer for the health of the sector and, while our refurbishment and repair work has always been strong, this is definitely our biggest year for a long time for new machine installs.”

The company’s range focuses on the BSTA series with a nominal force of 18 to 250 tonnes and a stroke rate range of between 1 to 3000 strokes per minute.In other news, Bruderer will have its largest-ever presence at MACH 2024 (Birmingham NEC, 15-19 April) as part of the new MMMA Sheet Metalworking Village.
For further information www.bruderer.co.uk

£2m press investment for SDE Technology




A Shropshire-based pressings and assemblies specialist has invested more than £2m in acquiring its largest-ever progression press.SDE Technology installed the 1000-tonne Chin Fong press and coil handling line at its Brixton Way factory in Shrewsbury, an installation that allows larger die usage and helpsbigger larger products for use in the automotive sector.

The press, which has a bed size of 4.5 x 1.8m, has capacity for over £2m of new revenue, with the management team already in discussions with larger OEMs and tier-one suppliersseeking security of supply and opportunities to de-risk the supply chain. Due to the investment, SDE Technology has created eight new jobs and safeguarded tens more.

“This is our largest-ever progression press and one of the largest in the UK automotive supply chain,” explains Richard Homden, managing director of SDE Technology.“It’s a fantastic time to invest in this new capability. Yes, there are current headwinds, but for the bold there’s also opportunities, with lots of reshoring, electrification and carbon reduction projects currently in discussion.The £2m investment will be a game-changer for our business and the West Midlands as a whole.”

SDE Technology is one of the largest manufacturers of pressings and assemblies in the UK, employing more than 130 people across its core production business and at Salop Haulage Ltd.

Chris Greenough, commercial director at SDE Technology, says: “The Chin Fong investment comes off the back of two earlier press installations, offering 100 and 200tonne capabilities.These were put in initially to deliver pressings for the white goods industry, but they could also support other tooling projects going forward.”
For further information www.sde.technology

Boost productivity with double-sheet sensors




The automotive supply chain consistently faces pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs. A risk to productivity on press lines is the potential for the accidental feeding of two or more sheets (rather than one) into a press.There is also a danger of this causing expensive damage to the press tools.

According to Plus Automation, a master distributor for smart sensor specialist Contrinex in the UK & Ireland, double-sheet detection systems designed to prevent this issue are costly, limiting their use to high-volume production cells. Their high price also typically prevents their use in assembly operations, where it would be ideal to verify the presence of two sheets.

Plus Automation says that Contrinex smart sensors offer a far more affordable way to detect the presence of individual sheets and double-sheet conditions, triggering an alarm and halting production to prevent press damage.On a production line that runs a large variation of sheet materials and thicknesses, the PocketCodr is key to simplifying the configuration of smart sensors. The PocketCodr app running on a tablet monitors and quickly configures sensors during the commissioning of a new product.

In a real customer application, the combination of Contrinex inductive smartsensors with the PocketCodr sensor configurator is offering flexible and reliable double-sheet detection solutions for a manufacturer of pressed metal parts. The compact yet robust metal-bodied M18 sensors sit either side of the in-feed conveyor. Not only do they sense the presence of each sheet, allowing the automatic initiation of press operation, they also detect an unwanted double-sheet condition, triggering an alarm before damage occurs.

PocketCodr puts the monitoring and configuration of the smart sensors into the hands of the engineer on a tablet or phone and removes the need for any coding.
For further information www.plusautomation.co.uk