In the automotive industry, lightweight construction is in greater demand than ever before.

However, car seats and their fastening elements must withstand the enormous forces exerted on vehicles involved in accidents. High-strength materials are used to ensure high resilience, but with a lower weight.
The machines of numerous automotive suppliers used up to now are often not designed for processing these materials. As a result, automotive supplier Adient has taken appropriate upgrade measures: the press lines at its Solingen works were recently extended with the addition of three strip-feeding lines featuring high-performance levellers from Schnutz GmbH. The new machines enable feeding and easy processing of the special materials with optimum flatness being achieved.
“Prior to awarding the contracts to Schnutz, Adient carried out extensive tests at various suppliers,” says Dr Lutz-Stefan Henrich, managing director of Schnutz GmbH. “The aim was to ascertain whether the machines were suitable for the complex and multi-stage forming of high-strength steel.”
At the technical centre in Siegen, Germany, Schnutz convinced the automotive supplier of the quality of its machines in joint levelling tests. For this reason, Adient decided to extend its machinery for processing high-strength materials with the addition of three strip feeding lines, including a high-performance leveller from Schnutz.
At the pressing plant of Adient, seat rails are manufactured on several lines.
“The high-strength material used requires special treatment in order to obtain the required flatness with optimal residual stress in the strip material,” says Henrich. “Only when the geometry of the leveller matches the particular product can the best results be achieved.”
That reason is why Schnutz uses simulation programs to analyse the working processes and plastic forming behaviour of the materials used in order to modify the machines to suit customer-specific requirements.
For further information www.schnutz.com

In the 2018 fiscal year, Schuler increased its order intake by 10% with successful sales in new markets and digitised applications.

However, ongoing pressure to make adjustment in Germany, international trade conflicts and special effects had a significant negative impact on the press manufacturer’s sales.
“We will consistently focus Schuler on new markets, digital business models and profitable core businesses,” says CEO Domenico Iacovelli. In mid-2019, Schuler and Porsche plan to start building their joint press plant, which has now finally been agreed. Operation is scheduled to start in 2021.
Schuler’s incoming orders rose to €1255bn in 2018 (previous year €1141bn). Despite the rather low order backlog at the end of 2017, group sales remained virtually unchanged at €1212bn (previous year €1220bn). The regions of Europe and China grew, while business in North America suffered significant losses.
CFO Norbert Broger says: “Last year was very challenging in terms of operation and strategy. This is why it was all the more important that we were able to reverse the negative trend in incoming orders and achieve an increase of 10% for the first time. We therefore entered the New Year with a decent order backlog of €926m. As a result, and thanks to the cost reduction measures already initiated, we are confident that we will be able to show medium-term earnings improvements.”
Irrespective of the positive order development, the pressure to adapt remains high, especially in Germany, says Iacovelli. “In 2018, we therefore began making Schuler more dynamic and bringing customer-driven innovations to market more quickly. The aim is to concentrate on the group’s profitable core business and increase profitability in the coming years. This includes the consistent segregation of loss-making business areas wherever necessary.”
For further information www.schulergroup.com

AP&T has produced a new generation control system that is designed to simplify the utilisation of presses, automation equipment and production lines. The upgrade entails a comprehensive overhaul of the LOGOS user interface, as well as functionality and hardware.

“Our ambition is to make operation as simple as possible for everyone who uses our machinery on a day-to-day basis,” says AP&T vice CTO Christer Bäckdahl. “Consequently, we have listened very carefully to the opinions of customers and operators, and worked to satisfy their wishes in our development work. At the same time, we have put a great deal of effort into ensuring that operators who are accustomed to our machinery will feel at home in the environment.”
One thing that many users have asked for is larger screens. Now, operators have access to 22” screens with full HD for stationary PCs and 7” screens for hand-held mobile panels. Both have widescreen format (16:9) and high resolution. The number of pixels is 2.5 times higher than previously, while the graphics, which present a clear AP&T identity, have been developed to give a good overview of the displayed information and to facilitate navigation. This feature applies to the alarm view, for example, which gives a quick overview of the machine’s status.
The functionality itself has also been improved, at least according to Lars Prysander, who has been the development project manager and one of the programmers for the new system version.
“One of the many examples is that previously two clicks were needed to switch between the various machines connected to the system,” he says. “However, we’ve now added an extra menu with shortcut keys, which means only a single click is needed to switch from one unit to another.”
For further information www.aptgroup.com

A self-locking wedge clamp for safely securing dies on power presses and injection moulding machines, without the need for a permanent hydraulic supply, has been introduced by Roemheld UK.

Designed for clamping dies with straight edges, the element applies spring force for retention. A pressure of up to 160 bar is sufficient for release, which can be provided by the machine hydraulics.
Inclined at 6°, the clamping bolt approaches the die edge from the side, resulting in a self-locking connection, following which a spring applies frictional force that can be maintained over long periods of time. Inductive and optical position control deliver enhanced operational safety.
The robust, compact wedge clamp is coated to inhibit rusting and can withstand harsh environments including dirt and temperatures up to 160°C for high functional safety, even in the most challenging production processes. Tolerance for clamping edge height is ±0.5 mm, with spacer plates compensating for any deviation. Cylinder diameters are between 35 and 85 mm, while operating force is from 25 to 120 kN, depending on unit size.
In the standard range, the availability of four hydraulic connection variants provides flexibility for different assembly configurations. Modified wedge clamps can be supplied to suit customers’ specific applications. Additional versions are available for clamping on angled die edges, with permanent lubrication or multi-layer coating to improve wear properties. All clamping elements comply with the Euromap directives.
For further information www.roemheld.co.uk