A specialist in hot and cold-forming equipment, Rhodes Interform and its sister company Atkin Automation, recently won a contract to supply and install a new coil-processing line for a major northeast heat-shield manufacturer. The machine is used to produce blanked parts from single-pitch tools, or formed parts from progressive tooling in the automotive industry.

Following technical meetings between the client and Rhodes Interform engineers, a solution was proposed and accepted which involved the supply of a unit from sister company Atkin Automation’s Taiwanese partner Shung-Dar. The unit selected was a space-saving three-in-one NC servo-feeder, straightener, decoiler and coil cart with a capacity of 3000 kg by 800 mm. The unit is rated at 1.5 mm at full width, and comes with a Siemens PLC. Notably, a novel pilot release feature ensures optimum press performance by relieving built-up stress and binding of the strip through the feed caused by misalignment or camber, as well as alleviating ‘walking’ problems.
“This project was a great example of two business divisions working to generate an effective solution for the customer,” says Geoff Barker, sales manager for Atkin Automation. “We have extensive experience in providing products and services to heat-shield manufacturers and the coil-processing industry in general, and the success of the project is testament to the skills of our technical team.”
Features of the unit include: hydraulic coil cart, hydraulic mandrel expansion, threading supports, motorised feed height adjustment, programmable feed lengths with memory storage, and pilot release. To ensure operator safety and conformity to CE standards, Rhodes Interform installed the unit with fully interlocked perimeter fencing.
For further information www.grouprhodes.co.uk

In early March Nissan unveiled a £52m extra-large press line at its UK manufacturing plant in Sunderland as preparations begin for the next-generation Qashqai.

The Komatsu press, which weighs more than 2000 tonnes and has taken 18 months to install, is part of a £400m total investment by Nissan in readiness for the new Qashqai, which will be the third-generation of the crossover.
Nissan’s investment in the new press includes a recycling system to segregate and process scrap, along with upgrades to the existing blanking line, which will supply flat blanks to the machine. The press is capable of stamping more than 6.1 million vehicle panels a year, with a maximum combined force of 5400 tonnes. At the opening ceremony, the whole team behind the press project signed the first panel
– a fender for the new Juke.
March 2020 marked the 10th anniversary of the first Juke to roll off the line in Sunderland. The all-new version has been made exclusively in Sunderland since October last year.
Steve Marsh, vice president – manufacturing at Nissan Sunderland, says: “Watching the first perfect panels coming off the press was a proud moment, and is a reflection of the tremendous skills we have here on Wearside.”
For further information www.nissan.co.uk

AP&T, which has worked with press hardening technology since the beginning of the 2000s, was entrusted with supplying an ultra-modern press hardening line to MA Polska’s facility in Tychy, southern Poland.

The line was deployed in spring 2018. Not only was it the first of its kind for MA, it was also the 100th press hardening line that AP&T had installed at that point. In other words, the installation was a milestone for both companies.
MA’s new line is a complete, turnkey state-of-the-art solution, and is equipped with AP&T’s proprietary system for in-line process monitoring, which means parts can be manufactured with a consistently high level of quality in a carefully controlled process with short cycle times. As a result, the car industry’s CQI9 quality standard can also be effectively fulfilled.
“MA understood the opportunities afforded by our technology early on, which has made co-operation very invigorating,” says AP&T product manager Lennart Johansson. “It is always especially gratifying when both parties aim high and are able to reach common goals.”
The headquarters of MA are in Rivoli, Turin, Italy, and the company has been a major manufacturer of cold-formed sheet metal parts for the global automotive industry since the 1970s. A few years ago the company decided to begin manufacturing press hardened components as well, which thanks to the combination of low weight and high strength, are increasingly being selected for use in modern passenger cars.
For further information www.aptgroup.com

S-HTF series ball screws from NSK are for the first time enabling powder-press manufacturer Osterwalder AG to employ servo-electric drives on its larger machines, rather than conventional hydraulic drives.

As a result, new systems such as the Osterwalder OPP 2000 multi-level machine with 2000 kN press force, use around 80% less energy than hydraulic counterparts of equivalent power output. In addition, pressed parts are produced with significantly higher dimensional accuracy, which reduces the amount of reworking and substantially lowers process and material costs.
Lyss, Switzerland-based Osterwalder offers a wide range of machines, and with the CA-SP and CA-HM electric powder presses introduced around five years ago, brought to market a completely new type of drive technology. Direct Drive Technology (DDT), as it is known, comprises servo-electric motors and NSK ball screws, and thus replaced the hitherto dominant hydraulic drives in this field of application.
The DDT drive principle has proven itself over the past five years, initially for press forces up to 160 kN, and then up to 640 kN. As a result, it was only logical for Osterwalder to take the next step and equip its larger presses with this drive technology. However, the HTF series from NSK and comparable ball screws from other manufacturers reach their limits here with regard to nominal service life.
As part of its ongoing development programme, NSK had in the meantime developed its S-HTF ball screw series, which would prove extremely timely for Osterwalder. S-HTF ball screws offer a higher dynamic load capacity with the same dimensions, thus delivering a service life that is significantly extended.
Endurance tests performed in the NSK laboratory showed that the TF technology used in the ball screws of the S-HTF series results in triple the service life, as well as a 30% higher dynamic load capacity.
For further information www.nskeurope.com

Roemheld’s newly developed block cylinder S (‘strong’) is purposed designed for use in forming technology, including punching machines. This sturdy and compact cylinder is a further development of the established Roemheld block cylinder.

The block cylinder S is hydraulically double-acting and universally applicable for all linear movements with high force requirements. According to Roemheld, the cylinder can withstand high mechanical and thermal loads, and is suitable for operating pressures up to 500 bar and operating temperatures up to 200°C. Versions up to 250°C are also available on request.
Block cylinder S shows its strengths where high loads and side loads are to be expected, such as on punching, pressing, trimming, bending and stamping machines, as well as in joining and press-in devices. All designs are equipped with piston and rod guide rings, which absorb side loads between the moving components. The rod guide rings also prevent direct metal contact between the piston and cylinder housing, minimising mechanical wear. Importantly, the operating pressure of block cylinder S must be limited to 250 bar for these applications because of very high loads during punching.
As a result of numerous variants and small dimensions, block cylinder S can also be used for a range of other applications, such as operating core pullers and sliders in mould tools. The cylinder can also be deployed in fully automatic production systems with short cycle times thanks to its high load capacity. Inductive stroke end controls are provided for optional position monitoring.
A total of five sizes with piston diameters from 32 to 80 mm, and four stroke lengths from 25 to 100 mm, are available. If required, the standard stroke can be shortened by 5 to 29 mm by means of a shrink-fit distance bushing. Piston variants with internal or external thread
can be supplied.
For further information www.roemheld.co.uk