Waldale Irwin Hodson Group (WIHG) is North America’s largest private manufacturer of licence plates, servicing 20 American states and Canadian provinces. The combined output of WIHG’s multiple factories results in 11 million plates printed per year in nearly 1000 different designs. The licence plate manufacturing process begins with massive coils of aluminium, which are fed into a press line that stamps out standard blanks of 6” x 12” rectangles with rounded corners. These blanks go on to a traditional embossing process. 

Sutherland Presses has been a manufacturing partner for WIHG since 1996. Jean Bourque, WIHG’s engineering manager for tooling, relies on Sutherland to meet the high standard of quality and efficiency that such a high volume of output demands: “I like it when I can deal with the owners directly. I also like that the presses are made with North American parts.” 

In March of 2016, one of WIHG’s factories was in need of a new press for its blank stamping line. Bourque knew that Sutherland was his best bet: “I didn’t do a lot of shopping around.”

Sutherland and WIHG agreed that the right press for the job was the next generation of the Mark series press.

The Gen 2 Mark series single-point gap-frame press exemplifies Sutherland’s commitment to innovation in metal forming, with numerous improvements made over the first generation. Featuring more steel in the C-section of the frame, angular deflection is reduced under full stamping loads, allowing for better performance in bottom coining, and permitting WIHG to form the letters of the plate with reliable high definition. Furthermore, the slide guides are designed with a taper wedge to assure long die life during production runs.

More information www.sutherlandpresses.com

Electrification, multi-part integration (MPI) and a higher share of recycled material: the shift in technology in the automotive industry is driving new developments. AP&T’s new press-hardening line, AP&T Skylines, has been developed to meet these challenges and lead the way to more effective, flexible and sustainable vehicle production.  

Skylines is a fully automated line that has been specially designed for effective press hardening of large and extra-large sheet metal and MPI, even in material with a high recycling rate.

To maximise production capacity for large-scale sheet metal with minimal energy consumption, AP&T Skylines has a flexible, vertical design that uses a modular and scalable solution. The line thus requires little floor space even though it includes energy-efficient servo presses, compact multi-layer furnaces, linear automation with Speedfeeders, and tools. Each modular section has been developed to meet customers’ specific needs and ensure long-term performance.

Says Magnus Baarman, managing director and CEO of AP&T: “Skylines is a result of our commitment to help customers meet both technical and environmental requirements. With Skylines, we provide them with a solution that combines sustainability and efficiency without compromising on performance.”

One of the most prominent features of AP&T Skylines is its compact and energy-efficient multi-layer furnace system. Unlike traditional roller hearth furnaces, this vertical system can handle significantly larger sheet metal and more complex components without being limited by the furnace’s dimensions. In addition, it offers significantly lower energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, which makes it a central part of a sustainable production process.

“With this flexible and scalable technology, we make it possible for manufacturers to meet both technical and environmental challenges,” concludes Baarman. 

More information www.aptgroup.com