Press Brake Tooling
As seen in the December 2015 issue of
BY LYNN STANLEY, SENIOR EDITOR
Running
WITH robots
Automating press brake operation, shop
uses tooling that maintains angles and
accuracy across three shifts
I
n 1985, when Bill Pohlmann went
to work for Standard Iron & Wire
Works Inc., he admits he knew little
about metalworking and fabrication. Farming had prepared him to
operate equipment but did not outfit him
with the skills required to build machines.
“I had a strong aptitude for math,
though,” recalls Pohlmann, production
manager for the contract manufacturer’s
Sauk Centre, Minnesota, plant. “I found
I was able to combine my math skills with
my hands-on experience and implement
ideas into practical applications.” A fascination with how things are made attracted
him to the job, but the cords that tied him
to a 30-year career with the contract manufacturer were that its people are “like a
second family, [and] Standard Iron helped
me grow.”
Through the years, Pohlmann has
gained a unique perspective on the evolution of technology, its influence on
machine and tooling choices and its potential impact on young people who may
one day work at Standard Iron. “I was
drawn to the field by my interest in math,”
Pohlmann notes. “Kids today are growing
up with cell phones, laptops and tablets.
Digital technology is part of their DNA.
Standard Iron recognizes that the future
is automation and it will be a key factor in
attracting young people. To keep up, to be
a leader, you need a good workforce and
FFJournal® December 2015
the latest technology.”
When Standard Iron chose to replace
aging equipment, it opted for a 480-ton,
14 ft. long Accurpress press brake with 6axis back gauge equipped with two robots
and Wila’s E-Wide CNC crowning system and its New Standard Premium
®
Robots process large, bulky
parts while Wila’s New
Standard Premium clamping
and tooling systems eliminate
the need for long, heavy dies
that require multiple operators
and a crane to load and unload.
Wila’s modular tooling design
allows the operator to clamp,
seat and align punches and dies
with the push of a button.
clamping and tooling systems. “We purchased new press brakes in 2003 and 2004
with Wila tooling,” says Pohlmann. “We
really liked it and knew we wanted it on
this automated work cell.”
Back to the future
The mechanized press brake, installed in
2014, processes large, awkward-shaped
parts and hard-to-bend components. Its
robot operators, equipped with arms and
grippers that each have 500 lbs. of capacity, can be programmed to perform tasks
independently of each other.
“One robot can bend a part at the same
time the other robot is picking up parts or
stacking,” Pohlmann explains. “This reduces downtime, improves safety margins
for our employees and lessens fatigue.”
Wila tooling has also contributed to improvements in these areas. “With our old
tooling it was a constant struggle to do
pretty much everything,” Pohlmann says.
“With some dies measuring up to 10 ft.
long, storage space was an issue. The dies
took at least two operators to lift and mov-
ing the tooling into place could be challenging, so setups took longer.”
“Wila tools are quick to install and easy
to take out,” he continues. “Because the
tools are segmented, one operator can
handle the dies. We’ve also reclaimed
floor space previously dedicated to large
storage racks.”
Standard Iron’s tooling inventory ranges
from 0.0313 in. (1⁄32) radius up to 1 in. (at
8 ft. long). The diverse lineup gives the
fabricator the flexibility to build products
that meet a wide range of customer requirements.
Sourcing tooling from Wila’s Hanover,
Maryland, headquarters has proved beneficial in other ways. “Previously when we
purchased tooling we specified what we
thought we needed, but typically overbought,” says Pohlmann. “Wila visited our
plant, talked to us about the type and size
parts we were making and advised us on
what tools we really needed to get the job
done.”
More with less
Tool selection has become a hot topic in
the industry. David Bishop, business development manager for Wila, says
manufacturers’ interest in the subject
prompted him to give a seminar at
Fabtech that explains how companies can
do more with less tooling. “We’re all looking for the best value we can get,” he says.
“Each time we enter a company’s facility
it’s like solving a crossword puzzle because
our goal is to find the right combination
and number of tools that will give that customer maximum usage.”
This results in fewer setups and less
downtime. Pohlmann agrees. “We’ve reduced our setup time by at least 20
percent.” The reclaimed time is significant for Standard Iron, which runs three
shifts with the press brake.
The automated work cell bends mild
steel, carbon and stainless as well as some
aluminum [16 gauge up to 1 in. thick] for
Standard Iron’s contract manufacturing and
architectural metals divisions. A one-stop
December 2015 FFJournal®
Press Brake Tooling
contract manufacturer, Standard Iron provides metal fabrication services for OEMs
that make equipment for off-highway,
agriculture, construction, transportation,
energy and HVAC markets. It also supplies
Division 5 structural, miscellaneous and
ornamental steel for projects such as commercial buildings, water and wastewater
treatment plants, sports facilities and convention centers.
A better work environment
Standard Iron’s volume varies from a few
parts to 100 or more. Press brake operators
currently make any tooling changes but
Standard Iron plans to automate that task
in the future. Offline programming is another goal once Standard Iron personnel
complete the training.
“Right now we’re running different scenarios to understand how the robots will
respond,” Pohlmann says. “It’s a little like
math: if you know the formula you can
plug it in and it will work.”
Operator response has been positive.
“No one is afraid of losing their job,”
Pohlmann says. “The press brake and the
tooling are taking care of the heavy lifting
and allowing our operators to perform
other tasks such as checking parts outside
the gate while the robots are running or
operating another press brake.”
In addition to improving working conditions, the marriage of New Standard tooling
with an automated bending operation is
raising part quality. “The crowning system
eliminates the need for die shimming and
compensates for machine deflection to prevent bending inaccuracies,” Pohlmann says.
“Tooling doesn’t walk in the machine and if
we have to replace a tool we know that
Wila’s extreme tolerances will produce an
identical match for us.”
Accuracy gains
Laser blanks paired with the press brake’s
tooling also contribute to part accuracy.
“Laser blanks have improved,” Pohlmann
notes. “Our forming department has been
able to reduce scrap and minimize material variations. The right tooling is critical
to part quality but when you combine it
with good laser blanks you take part value
to another level.”
According to Wila’s Bishop, “More and
FFJournal® December 2015
While the first robot bends
parts, a second robot stacks
components, decreasing
downtime and improving safety
margins for operators.
more customers are relying on this combination to provide better parts to their
assembly areas to save additional time and
cost.”
Standard Iron found it can take on new
assignments while reducing operating
time and cost. “We make a box that is approximately 2 ft. by 3 ft. with 8-in. legs,”
Pohlmann says. “On our old press brake it
was difficult to hold angles because the
machine had a clearance problem. On
the new press brake we can add extensions
to the Wila tooling and build more height
to get the depth we need so the part isn’t
hitting the ram.” Wila’s segmented design,
he says, allows Standard Iron to build
smaller, lighter tooling instead of using
one large, tall tool that has to be manipulated with a crane. Setup time is cut in
half and we get a good part every time.”
Standard Iron continues to adapt to the
changes wrought by advancing technology. “Two years ago we went paperless,”
Pohlmann says. “Our operators can access
work lists, prints and tools or if a customer
wants to know what we produced on a
given day we can provide that data in real
time. There’s a huge difference between
what we do today versus 10 years ago especially in terms of how we meet customer
requirements. I can’t imagine what our
shop floor will look like 10 years from now
with the introduction of automation.” FFJ
Standard Iron & Wire Works Inc.,
Monticello, Minn., 763/295-8700,
www.std-iron.com.
Wila USA, Hanover, Md., 443/4595496, www.wilausa.com.
Reprinted from FFJournal® December 2015 • Copyright Trend Publishing Inc.