Sutherland Presses says that one of its valued customers in Jalisco, Mexico, has achieved remarkable results with two of its 200-ton mechanical presses, setting a benchmark for reliability and performance. In just over two years, the presses have completed 30 million strokes, operating with minimal downtime.

Running 24 hours a day from Monday to Saturday, the machines achieve approximately 180,000 strokes daily. This performance has allowed Sutherland’s customer to meet its output targets on a consistent basis and confidently present production volumes to its own clients.

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A significant factor behind this success is continuous communication with the service team at Sutherland Presses and adherence to a rigorous preventive maintenance schedule. Certified technicians, armed with advanced diagnostic tools, deliver meticulous maintenance services that have already helped companies reduce their downtime by more than 40%.

Also integral to success has been the I-Press control and automation system. This system enhances operator guidance with over 130 monitored press faults and provides on-screen sequential steps for resolution, ensuring smooth operations. It offers expanded job memory capacity for storing over 200 jobs with alpha-numeric job names and remote connectivity for assistance and monitoring. High customisation and expandability options without costly chip replacements, along with upgrades unlocked directly from software, make it a useful tool.

I-Press also includes programmable cams, a die monitor I/O for detailed control configurations, tonnage monitoring to protect tooling, and on-screen fault diagnostics and troubleshooting for quick issue resolution.

More information www.sutherlandpresses.com

Raufoss Technology in Raufoss, Norway, manufactures link arms and other aluminum parts for the automotive industry. By having long-standing partner AP&T upgrade one of the company’s existing forging lines with a new, specially designed 2500 ton hydraulic press, not only have cycle times been reduced but the company can also manufacture larger parts than before. 

Some projects are simply more challenging than others, and in this case the challenge was twofold. The first challenge was the design and construction of the press. To be integrated into the existing line, the new press with its higher tonnage, had to be adapted to the physical limitations of the factory premises. Among these were the ceiling height and the size of the foundation, which required many special solutions.

Secondly, there was the matter of time. Raufoss Technology wanted the upgrade completed as quickly as possible. AP&T’s answer was a tight schedule in which everything needed to go according to plan to reach the finish line.

“We had a tight slot for installation, but AP&T did a good job, and everything was finished on time,” says Ole Ronny Heksum, project manager at Raufoss Technology.

One year after the order was signed, almost to the day, the machines and control system were finally in place.

Explains Mikael Karlsson, product manager of presses at AP&T: “We had to lift the press through the roof of the factory using a crane. Everything went smoothly and the entire installation, including the integration and commissioning, was completed in just 12 days.”

Adds Heksum: “After a period of adjustment, we can now manufacture parts with significantly higher pressing forces than previously, and at a higher production rate.” 

More information www.aptgroup.com

Roemheld presented various innovations designed to optimise set-up times on presses and punches at the Euroblech 2024 exhibition in Hanover last month. Notably, a new hollow piston cylinder that flexibly adapts to dies with clamping edges of different heights, made its trade fair debut.

The new hollow piston cylinder makes forming work easier, especially for contract manufacturers who use different, non-standard die-clamping edges. According to the manufacturer, the element is suitable for clamping edges with a difference in level of up to 30 mm. Users can set the desired height in increments of 1 mm. The new hollow piston cylinder offers clamping forces of 60 or 100 kN and is suitable for use with an operating pressure of up to 400 bar.

Among other new innovations at the show were Roemheld’s pull-push chain systems for loading presses and punches, which is intended for almost all application scenarios and dies up to 40 tonnes. It is suitable for installation either directly on the system or on a rail-bound transport system. Alternatively, for loading by crane, it is possible to integrate the system into a manually or electrically driven die-changing console.

The pull-push chain system is available as a complete solution in various standard versions and with different control variants. Since all components are designed to work together, the manufacturer promises a quick and simple “plug and play” installation.

A redesigned arch clamp for dies with straight clamping edges was also on display for the first time. The clamp suitable for dirty, hot environments up to 250°C on press beds and rams in sheet metal forming, die casting and forging applications.

More information www.roemheld.de/en