Quick Facts
| Type of Press | Hydraulic Trimming Press | ||
| Tonnage | 165 Tons | ||
| Industry | Automotive | ||
| Special Features | PPM Quick Die Change Vibration Dampening Leveling Pads PressLink for Remote Connectivity | ||
| Guidance System | 8 Point Gib-Guided | ||
| Challenge | Reduce or eliminate unplanned downtime. | ||
| Solution | With Beckwood’s Pre-Preventive Maintenance (PPM) system, users are able to perform real-time monitoring of the press’ health. When signs of required maintenance arise, the press can intelligently pinpoint the affected component or system and provide a recommended course of action. This advance notice allows customers to schedule machine downtime around their manufacturing schedules. | ||
| Challenge | Design a press that meets rigorous safety requirements. | ||
| Solution | 63” Allen Bradley mirrored light curtains are installed to guard the front, rear, and side openings of the press while four die safety blocks are provided for redundant ram retention during maintenance work. Included with the PPM package is a safety check program, which verifies that each safety system on the press is working properly. This two-minute process, which intuitively prompts the operator through a series of on-HMI tasks, is triggered once per week, based on the press’ internal calendar. | ||
| Results | Using integrated machine intelligence, this customer has been able to virtually eliminate the cost and stress associated with unplanned machine downtime, resulting in increased production and profitability. |
An automotive industry supplier required a new 165-ton hydraulic trim press, for the manufacture of vehicle interior components. The critical-path position the press would take in the customer’s facility, and the significant impact the parts being trimmed by the press had on the customer’s business, demanded maximum press up-time.
Beckwood Press engineered and manufactured a custom hydraulic press to meet the specification and performance needs of the user’s application. To address the need for maximum up-time, Beckwood integrated into the press its on-board PPM (Pre-Preventive Maintenance) technology, engineered to monitor the press systems’ health and performance, and automatically relay critical data and components status. The press was also outfitted with multiple redundancies for further prevention of unplanned downtime. This included dual linear and pressure transducers, and the programming necessary for an automatic switch to the backup transducer, in the event of a failure.
The installed press system is operating with closed-loop monitoring of key systems, and built-in component redundancies. Beckwood’s integrated PPM technology scrutinizes the machine’s operation, analyzes the data, and sends critical updates via both the HMI and through an automatic email system. More than 40 different action items and notifications, such as alarms, warnings, pump efficiency, safety system status, oil health, filter status and valve performance are programmed to recognize acceptable operating parameters for each metric and notify the team should emerging patterns signal potential issues.
Also built into the user’s 165-ton hydraulic press, is a safety check program, which verifies that each safety system on the press is working properly. This two-minute process, which intuitively prompts the operator through a series of on-HMI tasks, is triggered once per week, based on the press’ internal calendar. Through this safety check procedure, the press’ operators and the company’s management have gained a certain peace of mind that the press systems are operating in a safe condition.
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