When calculating the overall profitability of forming and punching lines, the methods used to feed the sheet metal play a very important role.
When mechanical presses need to produce small parts from a sheet of metal, the most effective method is to feed the press from a coil of sheet metal. The conventional feeding process consists of the following components:
Uncoiler: the sheet metal coil is fed into this machine, which unwinds the coil to supply the material required for the process.
Straightening machine: this component feeds the material from the coil and, using a series of rollers, flattens (straightens) it.
Feeder: this component is responsible for feeding the material precisely into the mould or die fitted to the mechanical press for processing.
Our catalogue of second-hand accessories is available here
–
The distance between these components, which generally depends on the thickness of the material, is usually considerable. Because of this, a much larger factory floor space will be required to accommodate the components that make up the press feed line.
The main reason for requiring a greater distance is the space needed for the sheet metal loop control, which is situated between the components that make up the line and is defined as the wave of unrolled material; this is necessary to prevent interference between:
- The continuous feed from the winder
- The continuous supply and demand for the straightening machine
- The feeder’s intermittent and constant demand
This loop control is achieved by controlling the start and stop of the winding machine’s motor.
In order to significantly reduce the space required by the power supply line comprising the components described above, the ideal solution is to replace them all with a Compact Power Supply Line.
Some of the benefits of using a compact power supply are:
- They do not require a pit for coil loop control
- It takes up much less space (roughly half) than a conventional power supply.
- Supports heavier coils
- It features a single control panel for operating the entire line
- As it is equipped with a straightener/feeder, it is significantly more accurate
- Ideal for processing rolls of thick material
- The sheet metal straightening process is continuous
- Ideal for use with progressive dies and transfer presses
Sketch of a compact line
Example of a compact line installed on a 160-tonne mechanical press
