The Press Automation business unit of Güdel has carried out its first European project, a complete press line for Fagor, a well-known press manufacturer in Spain’s Basque region.

In the project, the customer’s existing press lines, which have an output of 7-8 parts per minute, have been enhanced with the latest Güdel technology. The task of delivering this press plant to a large car manufacturer involved the resources and expertise of the entire Güdel Press Automation unit.
The front-of-line (FoL) equipment consists of two blank carriages with scissor-lift tables, fanners with automatic magnet adjustment, a high-speed double-axis gantry for de-stacking the sheets, plus an input conveyor, output conveyor, and a centring unit for each. In total, Güdel supplied seven RoboSpeed systems, designed for a maximum output of 15 strokes per minute, to transfer parts between a total of six Fagor presses – one servo press and five mechanical presses.
With regard to the end-of-line (EoL) scope of supply, this consists of a shuttle and a double-axis gantry, which places the finished parts ergonomically on a belt conveyor. To ensure that changeover times are kept short, the entire automation system uses automatic tool-change devices. Ahead of the installation at the end user’s premises, three Güdel RoboSpeed systems and two presses were installed as part of an in-house trade fair held by Fagor. A number of interested parties, including various decision makers at well-known automotive manufacturers and suppliers, visited to view these systems.
One of the challenges during the installation phase was that part of an existing press line failed. This meant that the new press line with Güdel automation, which was still being commissioned, had to rise to the challenge of producing parts early in order to safeguard manufacturing.
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