“Not everyone will make a set of roll tooling for a roll forming machine, but everyone will try building a punching or cutting die” is saying that we have used over the past years because it is true. The tool and die or machine shop is not going to start cutting roller die tooling for a 16 pass 2” shaft roll forming mill but to punch and cutoff that product the answer would yes…because it is just a die.
After our recent trade shows and technical conferences there are so many new faces in our industry along with the world getting smaller and the abundance of information out in cyberspace is mind boggling. In talking with people it is amazing some of the most basic things going wrong in roll forming lines, which with the right vendor help and support should not even be an issue.
A company asked us to look at a new cutoff die to replace a die built 10 years ago, the customer said initially that there were no issues and it worked well. In reviewing the information it seemed that with the way the tooling was designed and manufactured for a flying cutoff die application it was hard to believe that it really was working that well. After further conversation the die worked, but with all the issues they were having their overall performance was not very good. The reason why it was perceived that it was good, they just did not know what good tooling could provide. Also there turned out to be other cost cutting options that could be offered to the customer in material savings that they had no idea was possible.
Over the years we have considered ourselves fortunate to have been able to work so many different people and companies on wide variety of projects, and with that time spent we have acquired a vast knowledge of how things can work well in a roll forming line (flying or stationary punching dies, cutoff dies and various press options). With those experiences come a lot of success and some failures but at the end of the day it is to get a good product that is going to work in your roll forming lines. Price does matter these days, but also what is the perceived value of paying less for possibly limited or no engineering drawings, limited warranty, no service department call support, knowledge application engineers, these things do not seem important until there is trouble. Make sure when working with a vendor that you have the backup you and your company deserves.
Having trouble with your rollforming cut off dies, punching dies or press give us a call at 630-834-4430 or visit our web site http://www.hillengineer.com/, http://www.hillengr.com/ or http://www.rotarypunch.com/ and let us partner with you on your metalworking projects and issues.
Follow us on twitter@hillengr or on Facebook /Hillengr
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Rotary Punching, the concept, the types, and is it for you?
With manufacturing always looking for new ways to increase production, reduce labor cost and maximize floor space, with over 60 years in the development of rotary punching machinery, many features of new and existing piece parts can be looked at using the rotary technique. Not only does this mean various styles of punching and forming can now be done in rotary units, the piece parts are no longer restricted to a maximum material thickness of 1/16. With continued new advancements that allow certain features and pattern to be punched in material thickness up to .105” and line speed up to 700 feet per minute.
Rotary punching means that any of the below applications can be done by using a mating set of rolls, the diameter of which depends on the length of the pattern or multiples of patterns to be punched along with the line speed that the unit needs to achieve. For servo driven units, roll diameter is not as crucial as non servo units,
There are multiple styles of rotary units used in different applications and products, an example of some are as follows:
1. Single Pass (Cornerbead, Angles)
2. Multi Pass (Dense Patterns, RC channel)
3. Rotary Shear (Pre-Cut lines)
4. Rotary Lance (Soffit, Building Panels)
5. Rotary Punch (Holes, Oblongs, Squares, Rectangles)
6. Rotary Shearform
7. Rotary Form (Barbed Tape)
8. Rotary Semi Blank
ADVANTAGES OF ROTARY PUNCHING:
Depending on the application that is being evaluated for using rotary units, there are multiple factors that need to be addressed when weighing the options. Rotary units can be used in conjunction with a roll forming line or as a stand alone unit, in both cases not being restricted by a feed or press speeds, higher line speeds can be achieved.
There is decreased equipment cost because high sped presses with sophisticated feeds are no longer required. Rotary units are quieter than conventional presses due to the decreased noise and vibration because of the natural shearing action through the stock from the rotary motion. Less floor space is required because of their compact size and lack of a feed system, especially if a rotary unit can be designed to work mounted inside the roll former.
Another advantage is the low maintenance that is typically seen. As an example, in rotary punching units with multiple punches around the roll the normal punch and die wear that is seen in a standard stamping die is now spread over the roll diameter giving the unit longer run time, with more footage of material before sharpening and maintenance.
TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION:
There are two distinct styles or rotary units one being a “Fixed” type punch or shear meaning that the punches do not move inside the upper roll (fixed). The other is a “Cammed” type where the punches move inside the punch roll and is activated by a solid or mechanical cam mechanism.
Both styles have similar construction; the rolls are made of either pre-hardened steel or tool steel hardened. The type of material used depends on many factors, the most im¬portant being the speed that the unit must run, the gauge material to be punched and the longevity required of the unit (low, medium or high production).
If at all possible (depends on the pattern to be punched) the rolls should be bushed with standard bushing. Even though this takes extreme measures at times, the unit can then be sharpened without losing diameter size and, therefore, pattern length. Louvers, shear-formed “loops”, slots (which can be punched on their sides only into discs) cut against the disc on each side of the slot and cut in the air, on its ends and therefore need no bushings. Some stamping and embossing operations do not need, or cannot use, bushings either.
The gears are usually very critical to successful operation of the unit when there must be accurate punch-to-die alignment in the direction of the rotary motion. In these cases, the gears should be hardened for wear and precision ground or wire EDM’d, when punching material thickness under .062 inches. This statement is very general and is only given as a rough guideline. An anti-backlash gear (split gear) should be used in most cases. This not only insures that the alignment is maintained but also insures that you will obtain increased life of all components in the rotary unit because of decreased chatter.
Quality rotary units will have certain construction features designed in that are helpful during the assembly and setups. Hardened alignment rolls (male/female) to keep the punch and die alignment 90 degrees to stock travel and a fine adjustment mechanism to precisely adjust alignment between punch and die. Some kind of pilot or alignment pin to insure that there is no shear¬ing of punches and dies during setup. When possible an easy method for removing punches in assembly. In all cases, be sure to use a large enough diameter shaft to insure little or no deflection and the roll stand bearings should be tapered roller bearings.
TYPES OF OPERATION
Rotary units are operated any of five different ways:
(1) The rotary unit has its own drive system and operates faster than line speed. It generates a free loop between it and the roll former and is turned on and off with a loop control on its exit side.
(2) The rotary unit has no drive system at all. The unit is rotated by virtue of the punches entering the stock continuously, or the rolls pinching on the stock continuously and the stock being pulled by the roll former.
(3) A combination of the two choices above is a drive unit is used with an overriding clutch in order to start up the unit without “snapping” the material. Then as the roll former picks up speed, the overriding clutch allows roll former to provide the power and requires no more power input from the rotary motor no matter how fast the roll former is running.
(4) If the unit does not have its own drive, the strip is usually hand cranked through the rotary puncher and up to the roll former in order to start up the line.
(5) A unit uses a computer controlled servo amplifier/drive system to drive the top or bottom roll with programmable motion control software and rotary encoder.
The roll assembly can be operated either in its own stand / housing or mounted in one of the stands on the roll former. If it is mounted in one of the roll former stands and if the rotary puncher is a precision punching unit, that stand must have its gears detached so that the stand shafts are free wheeling. Then the roll unit must always have its own set of gears attached to the rolls. If you do not do this, there could be shearing of the punches and die buttons and there might be buckling of the material in the roll former.
SUMMARY:
If a product has a large annual footage total, evaluate the features in the part, and determine if a certain style of rotary unit possible fits the application. If the answer is yes then do a cost justification to see if rotary punching can save money on each part you produce. Remember by the time you would buy a press, feeder and punching die for your application your overall cost could well exceed the cost of one single rotary punching machine.
See examples here
Rotary punching means that any of the below applications can be done by using a mating set of rolls, the diameter of which depends on the length of the pattern or multiples of patterns to be punched along with the line speed that the unit needs to achieve. For servo driven units, roll diameter is not as crucial as non servo units,
There are multiple styles of rotary units used in different applications and products, an example of some are as follows:
1. Single Pass (Cornerbead, Angles)
2. Multi Pass (Dense Patterns, RC channel)
3. Rotary Shear (Pre-Cut lines)
4. Rotary Lance (Soffit, Building Panels)
5. Rotary Punch (Holes, Oblongs, Squares, Rectangles)
6. Rotary Shearform
7. Rotary Form (Barbed Tape)
8. Rotary Semi Blank
ADVANTAGES OF ROTARY PUNCHING:
Depending on the application that is being evaluated for using rotary units, there are multiple factors that need to be addressed when weighing the options. Rotary units can be used in conjunction with a roll forming line or as a stand alone unit, in both cases not being restricted by a feed or press speeds, higher line speeds can be achieved.
There is decreased equipment cost because high sped presses with sophisticated feeds are no longer required. Rotary units are quieter than conventional presses due to the decreased noise and vibration because of the natural shearing action through the stock from the rotary motion. Less floor space is required because of their compact size and lack of a feed system, especially if a rotary unit can be designed to work mounted inside the roll former.
Another advantage is the low maintenance that is typically seen. As an example, in rotary punching units with multiple punches around the roll the normal punch and die wear that is seen in a standard stamping die is now spread over the roll diameter giving the unit longer run time, with more footage of material before sharpening and maintenance.
TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION:
There are two distinct styles or rotary units one being a “Fixed” type punch or shear meaning that the punches do not move inside the upper roll (fixed). The other is a “Cammed” type where the punches move inside the punch roll and is activated by a solid or mechanical cam mechanism.
Both styles have similar construction; the rolls are made of either pre-hardened steel or tool steel hardened. The type of material used depends on many factors, the most im¬portant being the speed that the unit must run, the gauge material to be punched and the longevity required of the unit (low, medium or high production).
If at all possible (depends on the pattern to be punched) the rolls should be bushed with standard bushing. Even though this takes extreme measures at times, the unit can then be sharpened without losing diameter size and, therefore, pattern length. Louvers, shear-formed “loops”, slots (which can be punched on their sides only into discs) cut against the disc on each side of the slot and cut in the air, on its ends and therefore need no bushings. Some stamping and embossing operations do not need, or cannot use, bushings either.
The gears are usually very critical to successful operation of the unit when there must be accurate punch-to-die alignment in the direction of the rotary motion. In these cases, the gears should be hardened for wear and precision ground or wire EDM’d, when punching material thickness under .062 inches. This statement is very general and is only given as a rough guideline. An anti-backlash gear (split gear) should be used in most cases. This not only insures that the alignment is maintained but also insures that you will obtain increased life of all components in the rotary unit because of decreased chatter.
Quality rotary units will have certain construction features designed in that are helpful during the assembly and setups. Hardened alignment rolls (male/female) to keep the punch and die alignment 90 degrees to stock travel and a fine adjustment mechanism to precisely adjust alignment between punch and die. Some kind of pilot or alignment pin to insure that there is no shear¬ing of punches and dies during setup. When possible an easy method for removing punches in assembly. In all cases, be sure to use a large enough diameter shaft to insure little or no deflection and the roll stand bearings should be tapered roller bearings.
TYPES OF OPERATION
Rotary units are operated any of five different ways:
(1) The rotary unit has its own drive system and operates faster than line speed. It generates a free loop between it and the roll former and is turned on and off with a loop control on its exit side.
(2) The rotary unit has no drive system at all. The unit is rotated by virtue of the punches entering the stock continuously, or the rolls pinching on the stock continuously and the stock being pulled by the roll former.
(3) A combination of the two choices above is a drive unit is used with an overriding clutch in order to start up the unit without “snapping” the material. Then as the roll former picks up speed, the overriding clutch allows roll former to provide the power and requires no more power input from the rotary motor no matter how fast the roll former is running.
(4) If the unit does not have its own drive, the strip is usually hand cranked through the rotary puncher and up to the roll former in order to start up the line.
(5) A unit uses a computer controlled servo amplifier/drive system to drive the top or bottom roll with programmable motion control software and rotary encoder.
The roll assembly can be operated either in its own stand / housing or mounted in one of the stands on the roll former. If it is mounted in one of the roll former stands and if the rotary puncher is a precision punching unit, that stand must have its gears detached so that the stand shafts are free wheeling. Then the roll unit must always have its own set of gears attached to the rolls. If you do not do this, there could be shearing of the punches and die buttons and there might be buckling of the material in the roll former.
SUMMARY:
If a product has a large annual footage total, evaluate the features in the part, and determine if a certain style of rotary unit possible fits the application. If the answer is yes then do a cost justification to see if rotary punching can save money on each part you produce. Remember by the time you would buy a press, feeder and punching die for your application your overall cost could well exceed the cost of one single rotary punching machine.
See examples here
Thursday, April 8, 2010
How do you handle the training of your people?
With all the down turn in the workplace, people now doing multiple tasks and jobs, you hear that there just does not seem to be enough time to do anything...especially invest in the people we have. No matter what kind of employer sponsored employee investment program there is, that budget or time allotment always seems to be the first cut.
One of the types of investments that go easy by the waste side is additional training to make them (the employee) more efficient at their current task or new ones they were assigned to them. Whether it is taking some classes at night, classes online, e-learning, or attending a multiple day live conference that little investment (cost of the program, travel, expenses, etc) could end up paying big dividends for the company in both the long and short run. The employee feels a sense of empowerment knowing the company is taking an interest in them, it gets them interacting and networking with other people outside of the company which in turn may allow them to look at problems and situations in a different light. How many times have you heard “but we always do it that way”.
You can also look at outside classes/events as new employee training for certain programs. If you find a training class/program that, you have attended in the past, maybe someone you know has attended or one that has a good reputation use this avenue for initial empowerment. What better way to get your new employee off to a good start when they realize that they are already on the company’s mind and they (company) want them to succeed. The overall cost may even be lower than doing everything in house besides the finding time to train people.
Over the year Hill Engineering has been fortunate to be involved in many live conferences within the roll forming industry at stand alone events like the Fabricators and Manufactures Association’s World Class Rollforming or conferences in a industry specific show like FABTECH or Metalcon. The positive feedback and energy we get back from the attendees during and after the programs is always a hugh lift, and reinforces to us that this still is an excellent and exciting path to choose for training.
I believe I heard or saw this somewhere “A company makes a product, but the people make the company” and I still believe that today. Let us know what you think...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
How we connect to our customers now...
Trade shows to the internet to social networking, I have been wondering lately which is the best way to connect with current and potential customers?
When I started working at Hill Engineering in 1988 the company had a pretty aggressive marketing strategy for a smaller company consisting of 2-4 trade shows per year, speaking at the roll forming conferences and had a very busy advertising schedule. Even though at times it was hard to put an exact number for the ROI it would be amazing how many people who contact us the first time say "I saw your advertisement", "you sent me information from a request out of a magazine", "I saw Mr. Don Hill speak at a conference".
Back before Al Gore created the internet most people in the manufacturing industry would find out about new products by reading the trade magazines, possibly visit an industry specific trade shows or technical conference.
As we got into the 90's and the power of the internet was at its starting point companies started having websites because that was the thing to do, but it also offered another avenue of advertising and then ordering your merchandise on line....that I am sure most people did not now that it would lead to where we are at now.
With advertising budgets thinned down in most companies due the most current economic down turn, companies have been turning to an avenue that has taken off in the past few years....social networking. There are many different styles of networking now, My Space, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, just to name a few.
Mr. Dan Davis the editor-in-chief at FMA communications Inc wrote a nice editorial in the August 2009 Fabricator addressing this issue with a rundown of some of the different media's and as we at Hill Engineering and our sister companies in the Formtek Group have been embracing this type of technology I wonder are we adding to our industry base? With no doubts we are seeing different types of people and companies viewing our pages and some of these contacts we would not have reached by seeing at one of our trade shows or conferences but is the typed words or graphics on a page the same as shaking a person’s hand, greeting them with a smile, and conversing.......what do you think???
Paul Williams
Sales Manager-Hill Engineering
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