Production Test: Monitoring a Metal Stamping Press - Sponsored Whitepaper

ADwin-Light-16 Real Time Data Acquisition System CHESTERLAND OH—May 07, 2012

CAS DataLoggers recently provided the real-time data acquisition solution for an automotive manufacturer using metal stamping presses to shape their torque converters. Stamping was used to create a series of indentations that held metal vanes used to transmit the power from the engine to the transmission though a fluid. Hydraulic cylinders were used to force a hardened punch into the metal which was displaced into a corresponding die, creating 136 separate indentations. However, the punches, being extremely hard, were occasionally subject to breakage. In this automated environment, where one part was turned out every 45 seconds, many defective parts could be fabricated before an operator’s visual inspection detected that the indentations weren’t properly formed and that a punch had failed. Since the plant ran 3 simultaneous punching operations, failures sometimes occurred as often as once per shift, leading to a great deal of scrap since the parts couldn’t be reworked. Therefore plant management looked for a highly accurate data acquisition and control device which could continually monitor the stampers’ punches in real time for signs of developing breakage. An advanced DSP and user-friendly software were system necessities.