Roto-Die Article - A Member of the Formtek Group Spotlighted in the Sheet Metal Journal

http://sheetmetaljournal.com/feature-article/roto-die-hydraulic-sheet-metal-press-brake-formtek

Advanced Roll Forming - Part II: Reduce Cost & Simplify Operations - by Paul Williams

As a follow up to our recent blog examining the potential pitfalls to the roll-forming process, this discussion will focus on how advanced technology has virtually eliminated these costly and aggravating hindrances with recent innovations.

Product Changeover

This is a significant challenge to productivity due to the many processes that take place – from complete removal of a tool set to an entire machine reset. Over the course of time, technological advancements have been made that virtually mitigate or minimize these burdens on time and efficiency.

• Duplex and telescoping shaft machines: this equipment provides movable banks of inboard and outboard housings to allow for quick changes in part width and eliminate the changing cross section of material thickness

• Rafted roll forming machines: this machine is typically used to change out an entire bank of roll tooling. The steel plate (known as the “raft”) along with the inboard and outboard housings and roll tooling for one job, is removed from the roll former base and replaced with another containing the tooling for the next job

• Roll formers featuring 2-side mounted roll tooling: this machine is powered by a single drive and allow product to be made on one set while the other set is changed out. In addition you can find roll formers that have a supplemental set of intermediate passes, which are significantly taller than the others to allow for an upper and lower roll tooling setup

Recent Innovations Yield Impressive Renovations

Manufacturers of roll forming devices have long observed the need to develop systems around specific types or “families” of products used in specific industries. The focal point should always be on the method that delivers the most significant cost savings and efficiencies. Select the process that produces stock in high volume based on the similarity of the product such as geometric characteristics (like items include steel framing, studs, track, joists and other structural building components).  These building items are usually “C” or “U” shaped with variation being.......read  the complete blog by visiting the B&K Metal Framing Blog

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Steel Framing Accessory Units Provide Significant Efficiencies - by Jack Pennuto Jr.

The use of light gauge steel drywall framing stud, track and accessories in construction is growing on a world wide basis.  Though this is good news for the steel framing industry, it still remains a very competitive market for manufacturers of metal construction machinery.  The demands of higher quality product requiring consistent finished materials which must comply with all recognized standards force manufacturers to have greater flexibility in an effort to remain relevant in the market.  Producers must be able to provide materials on a “just-in-time basis” and avoid maintaining excess inventory.  This requirement for higher productivity, while making the best use of fixed assets and labor is pushing the industry forward.  The incorporation of a state-of-the-art accessory unit can move a company far ahead of the competition in quality, flexibility and productivity. This article will highlight the advantages to various accessory system types.

 An integrated production line is custom designed system for all light steel framing accessories, including corner bead, furring channels, angles, CRCs, J-weeps and resilient channels.  Compact accessory units are specifically engineered to maximize limited floor space and efficiently thread up coil quickly and easily.  A single mandrel uncoiler is a key component to an efficient system. This type of design can handle up to six thousand pounds, while an optional double mandrel unit allows operation from one side while coil is loaded to the other.  When it is time to switch sides, the reel is simply rotated, threaded up and the system is ready to operate with the second coil quickly in place.

 Equipment incorporating a powered straightener-feeder removes coil set and features a speed matching algorithm that works with the roll former.  A rugged five roll straightener-feeder can easily handle steel dimensions up to 6 inches wide and 16 gauge material thickness.  Machinery that exhibits a micrometer 
adjustable edge guide ensures proper alignment with the roll former to make thread-up quick and easy when switching between profiles.  In addition, hardened upper rolls are individually adjustable to provide the exact roll pressure needed while keeping the rolls parallel.  The following station then punches holes and shears the strip to the precise length prior to the roll former.

 Continuous pattern rotary punches are available as options to accessory systems and provide unmatched production speed and compact design compared to traditional perforating methods.  With no press or discrete feeding equipment, the operation and maintenance is considerably simplified when manufacturing corner beads or forming holes in metal drywall studs.  With the “no hole punching” option, the rotary can simply roll off line for storage or later use.

In addition, a sophisticated rotary shear can provide high performance in a compact system and maintain tight tolerances at high speeds.  Incorporating an economical pre-cut method can eliminate the high cost of various cut-off dies for different profiles along with minimizing lost production time that comes with constantly changing out cut-off tools.  In addition, one shear blade can have the capacity to cut 25 to 16 gauge material up to 6 inches wide.

Certain roll formers serve as multi-profile accessory machines, providing remarkable flexibility, productivity and ease of use in roll forming steel framing accessories.  The roll former is capable of complete change over, from one unique profile to another, in less than 1 minute.  A simple hand-crank apparatus queues the digital readout to traverse the machine in the desired position of the next profile.

This type of accessory system’s permanent tooling can produce any of the necessary profiles by simply traversing the roll former to the desired product specification.  The operator simply threads up the material, keys in the part length, quantity and selected line speed.  There are no manual adjustment screws to set on the roll former, punch or shear.  Thus nearly eliminating the potential of human error.


There are significant opportunities to increase profits with an advanced accessory system, versus a conventional mill system.  These increased profits are largely based on the system changeover time from one product to another.  To explore these financial advantages, look for our next blog; Steel Framing 
Accessory Units Increase Profits  See our B&K blog

In the meantime, you can learn more by downloading our white paper:

Best Practices & Technologies in Manufacturing Metal Studs - by Jeff Carson

Harold Kerzner, an internationally recognized authority in project management defines “Best Practices”  “as those processes, procedures or practices in which a company replicates a similar situation because it has proven to be valuable or successful in the past, it will be assumed to be successful again in the future.”
In reality best practice might better be explained as “repeated applications” of the best practice in a similar project or business context that we can define it as true Best Practice.
Below we will discuss how Best Practices apply to the advanced technology available in milling stud lines
Change Over
Most structural stud lines use a hydraulic flying punch press with an air cylinder boost and die return system. This hydraulic punch press is boosted to line speed using an air cylinder and then boosted back to home position with the same air cylinder.  This method often adds unnecessary time, thus slowing the entire process.  It is very difficult to match the line speed of the material gauge with the air cylinder’s boost requiring about 15 minutes for the operator to make the adjustments, and then run a dozen or more parts just to test the line before running at the desired top speed.  Because this is such an arduous series of tasks to accomplish accurately, it rarely provides the desired result.  Because of the repeated “tweaking” of the air pressure setting on the air cylinder boost for each gauge or the line speed and all the scrap it creates, most operators will not go to the trouble.  Instead, the operator typically establishes a compromised setting that will work for each material thickness and line speed, ultimately settling for a much slower line speed.  In turn, this ‘compromise’ can be inefficient and ultimately affect cost overruns.  Cutting corners in this way can have a drastic reduction in output. 
Often reducing an operations capable capacity by as much as 50%.  This of course can have a dramatic impact on not only the company’s potential revenue, but also on its ability to meet customer demand.
Compressor-Free
The process described above requires an air cylinder boost and die return system on a flying punch press. Because of advances in technology, many manufacturers of studs require their lines be compressor-free. Running a compressor on a continual basis to adequately operate a die return system can be very costly. These compressors are often required to actuate a large air cylinder at a cycle rate of one- per-second in order to punch the knock-out holes along the stud, consuming an enormous amount of energy during a single shift.  Cost for operating this type of large air compressor for this particular operation can run as high as $75,000 per year.  This is often a ‘hidden’ cost, one that is not considered in the equation when designing a stud & track line.  However, some compressor-free technologies operate a rotary punch system that consumes as little as 1 CPM, even at top speed. This eliminates the need for a large, high-maintenance and energy consuming air compressor.
Automating Part Selection & Throughput
Most traditional stud roll-forming lines are designed to require manual change-over of parts.  Though the machine manufacturer may present it as ‘automated’, the extent of automation may be limited to selecting the correct button to find the appropriate setting of the web width, manually set the flange height, and then selecting another button for the proper material thickness.  The operator must then manually adjust the entry guide, the straightening fixture and then the overbend tooling.  Each of these separate process are time consuming, labor intensive and leave many opportunities for human error.
These manual processes can be completely eliminated when using a fully automated roll former.  Some automated machines maintain a “Library” of product parts, which can be automatically selected by an on-board computer and set into operation by a 13-axis auto positioning control.  The operator simply selects a part from the product library on a touch screen and one of 13 digitally-controlled settings will automatically place the part for the specific operation.
Reduced Maintenance Costs & Downtime
As described above, traditional mills rely on flying punch presses for the knock-out holes along the stud tracks.  Flying punch presses are appropriately named, because their operation is that of a fast moving tool, thrust by the action of a hydraulic press.  Because these continually moving parts are literally ‘punching’ the holes through the stud, the constant action on the tool, vibration on the equipment and continual flexing of the hose, cause a huge strain on the equipment. As the hoses rub against each other and the interior lining erodes due to the internal fluid velocity, the typical result is tool breakage, leaking hoses and valve failure. This type of system is in a continual state of repair.
Total Cost of Ownership
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), aka; life cycle cost analysis, is an analysis meant to show the lifetime costs that come from certain large scale assets. Ownership brings much more than purchase costs.  It includes costs for installing, deploying, operating, upgrading, and maintaining the assets.  For most operations, TCO analysis proves a major difference between purchase price and total life time asset cost.
TCO analysis is used to determine the best methods of acquisition and planning for a wide range of assets, including large capital equipment such as stud mills.   With major production equipment, like other machinery assets, there can be significant maintenance or operating costs during the service life. Total cost of ownership analysis is, and should be, the primary focus of management when making decisions for major equipment purchases. TCO is the focal point of:

• asset life cycle management
• budgeting and planning
• prioritizing capital acquisition proposals
• vendor selection

A company’s Total Cost of Ownership helps an organization understand the “value” of the equipment, not just the “purchase price”.
The choices in selecting the best stud & track line are:

1. Follow a thorough maintenance program that includes a daily operator observation along with a six month or annual discrete program in which the machine is taken out of service.
2. Select an automated system that reduces operator interaction with the machine, virtually eliminating frequent repairs.  This automated system also produces consistent and uniform parts that meet customer specification.

If the company conducts a thorough Total Cost of Ownership analysis prior to investing in a stud line, their clear choice will be to select option #2.
To see a fully automated milling stud line in action, click here.
 See our B&K blog

Formtek Inc. - May Newsletter

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Advanced Roll Forming - What To Know About Roll Formers - by Jeff Carson

Today’s construction market continues to be a gruelingly tough and competitive industry. No longer is it the typical 8am to 5pm workday of the 90’s. With today’s global economy and round the clock social media, the workday has become a virtual 24/7 event. On top of that, you have to be an expert in your field of work, an expert in meeting and exceeding your customer’s needs and always two to ten steps ahead of your competitor. You need to partner with the best but yet always have a “plan B” within reach.  

Within this industry are manufacturers of light gauge steel framing. This market is rapidly growing on a worldwide basis. That is awesome news if you produce steel framing. However it is a highly competitive market and process of “roll forming metal”, which is the largest user of coiled steel in the world today, plays a key role in flexibility, productivity and quality of the finished item.

Roll forming can simply be described as taking a piece of sheet metal and forming it into a customized curved shaped product by processing it through an engineered machine featuring a series of rollers. However, the historical technology of this industry is simply not that simple. It typically takes a skilled machinist, with years of experience to operate and change over roll forming equipment.

The advantages of roll forming are widely accepted. The typical process is fast paced and some of today’s equipment can deliver over 500 feet per minute and utilize correspondingly higher rates of speed. This type of specialized roll forming equipment provides consistent and uniform parts - when equipment is properly set for a certain gauge thickness and width, the roll forming process will routinely form the material within a specified tolerance range.    

A limited number of today’s roll forming machine manufacturers provide additional integrated processes to increase and improve line productivity. Punching, cut-off, slitting embossing, lancing welding, part marking stitching, wing bending, stacking and bundling are just some of the operations that can be assimilated into certain modern roll forming lines.  Computer driven microprocessor controls conveniently simplify the operation of these highly complex line configurations.

While these new advances are extremely appreciated and welcome, some of the most basic hindrances to higher productivity have just recently been addressed and overcome.

Some of the most obvious and counter-productive pitfalls to a seamless and smooth metal processing operation can be broken down into the following categories of machine processes: 

 

 Equipment Set-up

This typically is a time consuming and tedious operation.

·         Roll tooling and spacers must be placed on spindles, one station at a time by following intricate guidelines of set up charts and mechanical drawings of the tooling requirements.

·         The clearance between rolls is designated on both the inboard and outboard sides of each station. Feeler gauges and adjustment screws with pointers and scales are used to make final adjustments.

·         Once the roll machine is assembled, then “test runs” of material are sent through and then measured for dimensional accuracy.  Routinely, adjustments will need to be made incurring costly downtime.

Adjusting for variation in material

After the equipment set-up has been re-checked and validated, the focus is now on the sheet metal to be formed. Modifications in materials often occur due to several reasons.

·         Alteration of material thickness from coil to coil – even the most minimal change in material thickness can affect the setting and tooling clearance on most of the forming stations, requiring time consuming resets.

·         The physical properties of the material yield, tensile, hardness often vary significantly .This will cause subsequent adjustment to the over-bend stations, critical forming stations as well as the part straightening fixture.

Product changeover

Changes in product processing typically account for the most downtime in roll-forming.

·         A basic equipment changeover can take up to an 8 hour work day to complete – this time includes when the tooling set must be completely removed, replaced and the entire machine reset.

Operator inexperience

Lack of an experienced operator remains a key challenge for most roll forming operations.

·         Since formal training in equipment set-up, process adjustment and changeover of roll formers is generally lacking in the industry, these tasks are typically observed and learned through on-the-job training. This can be a costly, long term trial and error period with resulting poor work practices and poor product quality.

·         Equipment set-up training is critical to roll forming because it eliminates improper mechanical staging, mitigates the tendency for scrap, lost production time and ultimately damage to the tooling and machine.

Look for Part 2 in this blog series; Recent Innovations in Roll Forming: Reduce Cost & Simplify Operations

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About the Author

B&K is a member of the Formtek Group. Formtek is a group of long-established companies, each with a well-known name and a history of providing innovative, reliable equipment to the metal forming and metal processing industries. As a single source provider, Formtek continues to supply its customers with the highest quality equipment, parts and service available in the industries it serves.

Visit the Formtek website at www.formtekgroup.com for information on additional products and services.

Dahlstrom Trapezoidal Shear Flex Fab System

Dahlstrom Flex Fab Line, new features trapezoidal shear for surface critical material and 100% inspection prior to roll forming the CTL blanks.  

Dahlstrom Flexible Fabrication system includes a Hill Engineering hydraulic trapezoidal shear, automatic scrap removal, and 100% inspection prior to blanks entering the roll forming machine.  For more information contact sales@formtekgroup.com or (216) 292-4460.

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