Automated Die Press Equipment
Automated Die Press Equipment
Why Should Companies Use Automated Die Press Equipment?
For manufacturers today, the cost of labor continues to be a substantial cost to the overall bottom line. This rise has added additional financial strain on company resources, reduction in funds available for R&D, and an ultimate reduction in overall company competitiveness. Additionally, escalated manufacturing presences around the world have increased the demand for new projects which subsequently have driven part prices lower and reduced the available margins available to companies. These multiple factors have necessitated the need to develop creative means to reduce manufacturing costs and increase throughput to stay at the forefront of manufacturing innovation.
Luckily for modern factories, automated die machinery is the ideal solution for high volume sheet metal parts requiring tight tolerances. Due to their inherent rigidity, and quick cycle times, dies repeatedly produce tight tolerance quality parts year after year at high volumes. For companies that are willing to invest capital in custom automated die machines, substantial savings in labor over the long term can be achieved. This factor alone is one of the reasons savvy companies employ automated die machinery in applications where quality, speed, and cost are critical.
About The Featured Automated Die Press Machine
The above problems were exactly what a manufacturer was facing when they approached Tennessee Tool & Engineering (TTE) for a custom solution. Their current manufacturing method used substantial space was limited on throughput, and used high demand machinery needed for other projects. They had a bottleneck with five different part numbers and required an automated solution to produce all of the parts using one machine.
Based on the decades of combined experience, TTE was ready to handle the request and produce a machine that was reliable, durable, and cost-effective. From discussions with the customer, it was determined that the machine needed to produce five different part numbers, utilize one aluminum extrusion profile, have a 15 second cycle time, run autonomously for 45 minutes, and produce over one million parts per year. TTE, in partnership with the customer, developed machine specifications, requirements, design envelope, and schedule for the project.
Since time was critical on the project, TTE quickly put together multiple design ideas and held a kick-off for the machine design. After months of work, with periodic design reviews, TTE developed an automated die machine that met all the customer requirements.
Utilizing the touch screen HMI, the machine operator merely needed to select which part number they want to produce, presses a button, and the machine takes over. Using a large sled, the machine moves one of the five dies under the die press, locks it into position, and then proceeds to feed the blank extruded aluminum into the die. In under 15 seconds, the machine produces one new part until all of the blank aluminum profiles loaded by the operator have been exhausted. During the 45-minute un-interrupted machine run time, the operator is free to operate additional machinery nearby thereby reducing the total burden of labor on the factory.
Machine Specifications
- 1 Million Plus Parts Per Year
- 15 Second Part Cycle Time
- Produces 5 Different Part Numbers
- Utilizes One Aluminum Extrusion Profile
- 45 Minute Uninterrupted Run Time
- Simple In Operation
