What accessories are worth choosing in the feeder line and why?

What accessories are worth choosing in a feeding line and why?

Feeding lines play a key role in many stamping processes. A well-designed line increases productivity, improves operator safety and minimizes work errors. Choosing the right accessories and solutions is therefore important to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity. Here are some key components to consider when buying a feeding line.

Unwinder:

• Coil Car : Loading coils of material becomes easier and safer with a carriage that allows precise coil placement. Controlled by remote control, the coil car can be operated remotely and significantly reduces the time to set up a new coil.

• Servo guides on the unwinder: Automatic guides position the sheet circle centrally on the unwinder, reducing adjustment time and eliminating operator error.

• Double unwinder: this system significantly reduces line changeover time and this is especially applicable in highly efficient and fast production lines

• Joining two coils: This is an additional infeed line module equipped with a welder that automatically joins the end of the current sheet coil to the new coil. This is particularly applicable for thick sheets, where the changeover process is demanding and the coils themselves are used very quickly, and in profiling lines. The changeover process is faster and material loss is reduced.

• Hydraulic material insertion system – Located between the unwinder and the straightener, it facilitates the insertion of material into the straightener without the operator having to touch it. The entire process can be remotely controlled by the operator using a remote control, which increases the safety of the entire operation, especially with thicker and highly resilient materials.

The straightener or straightener-feeder is a key component of the feeding line, ensuring that the material is properly straightened before further processing. In addition to selecting an appropriately adapted straightener for your needs, additional equipment is also worth considering:

• Openable straightening head, so called “crocodile” Facilitates the insertion of the material and into the straightener and regular cleaning of the rollers.

• Servo side guides: Using a servo motor to drive the side guides at the front and rear of the straightener, they automatically adjust to the width of the coil, eliminating the need for manual adjustment.

• Automatic pressure roller setting : Using servo motors, we have the ability to set each pressure roller in the straightening machine in the PLC panel, saving their parameters for each reference. This eliminates errors in the case of changeovers and facilitates the work of operators, because once the outer diameter of the coil is reached in the range of 1600-1200 mm, 1200-750 mm, 750-520 mm, you can set any parameters of the straightening machine.

• Automatically adjust the height of the straightener or feeder: A very simple feature that should be standard on every machine, it reduces changeover time for the next reference

• Piloting system – A very important feature that should also be standard. With each feeding, the straightener or feeder gently loosens, allowing the fed material to hit the pilot points in the tool.
  System for piloting

• External encoder – A solution that significantly increases feeding accuracy up to 0.05 mm, and is a necessary accessory for compact lines.

The lubrication system ensures the right amount of grease on the surface of the material. This improves the smoothness of its movement through the feeding line, reduces friction and prolongs the life of the tool, and improves the quality of the parts produced.

• Manual roller lubrication: In this case, felt rollers lubricate the surface of the material from both below and above. The amount of oil and the lubrication cycle are controlled by a PLC control panel.

• Automatic Spray Systems: This is a built-in system equipped with spray nozzles that provide greater control of lubrication and selection of the areas to be lubricated. It is controlled by a PLC panel and equipped with a filtration system that prevents the spread of oil mist.

Guillotine

At the end of the feeding line, it is worth considering the purchase of a guillotine depending on the production process.

• Hydraulic guillotine: This is a budget solution that will work well for cutting off the beginning of the coil, before it is fed into the tool in the press, and for cutting off the coil in the event of a malfunction, a blockage in the tool.

• Servo guillotine: This is an advanced and highly efficient solution that will work well for cutting formats that are then used in a transfer press or as sheet metal. The servo guillotine is equipped with a system for automatic setting of the knife gap.

An Investment in the Future

Today’s feeding lines can be equipped with a range of advanced technologies that streamline the entire production process. Although retrofitting requires a larger budget, it is worth investing in the future and safety. Properly equipped feeding lines bring tangible benefits in the form of greater efficiency, fewer errors and safer operators.