Advantages of Using a Tonnage Load Monitor

Advantages of Using a Load Monitor

One Major Breakdown...One Machine Repair Bill...A Die Damaged Beyond Repair

Each is probably more costly...
Sometimes several times over...
Than the cost of several IMCO installations.

Tonnage Load Monitoring for Metal Stamping Presses and other dynamically loaded machinery is a sophisticated, accurate approach that lets you actually see what is occurring in the press and dies. It puts you in total control of your production by eliminating guesswork and maintaining set standards to meet production commitments.

SET UP DIES FASTER AND MORE ACCURATELY - Accurate die alignment is easier and faster when load applied to each end and over full length of the dies can be visually seen. You can avoid multiple trial and error bends and hits, as well as determine the most suitable load distribution.

QUALITY SPECIFICATION PARTS - DECREASE IN SCRAP AND PRESS TONNAGE - The visual readout of load being applied eliminates the "educated guesswork" .  Tonnage can be reduced to the actual load needed for the die. You can also maintain `tolerances for quality control.

DETERMINE DIE WEAR AND CORRECT TIME FOR RESHARPENING - Simple direct tonnage interpretation will quickly show increasing die wear, emphasize bad die load and time for resharpening.

HELP AVOID DAMAGING OVERLOAD AND DIE BREAKAGE -   Establishing a load reference guide line and becoming aware of press and part tonnage, minimizes risk of damaging overload and/or die breakage. The actual tonnage of the die can be stamped on the die shoe, per OSHA regulation 1919.217(d) (6) (i).

DRASTICALLY CUT MAINTENANCE COST AND DOWNTIME -   Avoidance of excessive tonnage, reduces breakage of dies and machine wear which will cut the downtime on maintenance for repairs.

ONE OPERATOR FOR MANY PRESSES, INCREASE SPEEDS AND AUTOMATION -    Die-Tracker plus gives the operator the ability to maintain many automatic presses operating at faster speeds.

ASSISTS IN FUTURE TOOL DESIGN - Provides engineering personnel with previously unavailable data on die actions while tooling is working under actual load conditions. Helps to determine what dies are best suited for what press capacity, avoiding large presses for smaller jobs.

DETECT DIE AND PRESS PROBLEMS

Tonnage Load Monitors help protect your machines and expensive dies from running into costly repair bills and unwanted breakdown time. Tonnage Load Monitors assist the die setter in setting dies properly to form an optimum part with minimum load at the beginning of a production run.

Today, most heavy wear and tear on presses, press brakes, other dynamically loaded machinery and dies can readily be traced to excessive loads, which are impossible to avoid when there is no guide for production personnel to accurately determine what loads are being applied. Simple changes in slide adjustment before and during production, premature tool wear, changes in material thickness, tolerance and hardness, all can result in overloads without any awareness on the part of personnel involved, unless they can visually see what load change takes place when these situations occur.

Tonnage Load Monitors detect increases in material hardness and stock thickness. Dull or worn dies from continuous use or shifting clearances can also be detected. Cost due to incorrect die setting on faulty operation can be held to a minimum. The right press can be chosen for the right job. The die designer or tool maker can check out dies for proper clearances, force requirements and general die behavior during the working stroke.

The source of trouble, the highest load location within the die or machine can be pinpointed with ease and accuracy. This knowledge enables the user to properly position the dies in the machine and distribute the load so that all members of the machine are evenly loaded.

The use of Tonnage Load Monitors will assure the user, fewer machine breakdowns, more economical machine operation, productions schedules will be easier to maintain, fewer scraps will be produced, dies will give longer life and properly loaded machines will last considerably longer, All these benefits will contribute to producing quality specification parts.

CAUSES OF EXCESSIVE TONNAGE

    SLUG BUILD UP
     CHANGE IN SLIDE ADJUSTMENT BEFORE AND DURING PRODUCTION
     VARIATIONS IN MATERIAL QUALITY AND THICKNESS
     MISFEEDS
     PREMATURE DIE WEAR
     TOO MUCH LUBRICATION
     OFF SET LOADS
     MISUSE OF STOP BLOCKS
     EXCEEDING PRESS CAPACITY
     LOSS OF LUBRICATION
     BEARINGS GOING BAD
     LOSS OF LUBRICATION RESULTING IN HIGH FRICTION CONDITIONS
     IMPROPERLY LEVELED PRESS BED
     TOLERANCE AND HARDNESS
     SNAP THROUGH

Seven Good Reasons To Use IMCO Tonnage Load Monitors

IMPROPER DIE SET UP
Data has been gathered to prove that even experienced die-setters have set dies in a machine and adjusted to where the tonnage is twice that necessary to produce a quality part.
Tonnage measurement at time of set-up will eliminate this problem.

IMPROPER DIE ADJUSTMENT DURING PRODUCTION
After a die is in production periodic ram slide adjustments are made to compensate for die wear. In doing so, the operator or supervision has no accurate knowledge of how much tonnage increase is being effected. As a result invariably adjustment is made for a harder hit than necessary.
Tonnage Load Monitors can be used effectively to limit load to minimum requirement, reducing machine load substantially.

MATERIAL CHANGES
Mill run stock will often vary as much as 10% in thickness, and if the stock has aged in any way, then a hardness change will result. Therefore, even an initially known load within capacity limits of a machine can easily exceed the limit either through die clearance changes or excessive tool wear.
Tonnage Load Monitors will always signal for drive disengagement upon sensing abnormal load conditions.

INCORRECT DIE ASSIGNMENT
Die assignment to a machine is usually based on initial formula calculation and experience of die setter or foreman. Lack of known formula for many types of operations, lack of known tonnage when dies are worn or stations incorrectly functioning can easily lead to miscalculation.
Tonnage Measurement will provide accurate and meaningful load information on both new and worn dies. Tonnage Load Monitoring will be on guard against miscalculation of load.

OVER OR UNDER FREQUENCY OF TOOL SHARPENING
Dependent on emphasis place on quality of parts output and experience supervision is the yardstick of tool reworking and resharpening. Lack of available time for inspection brings about poor tool care and unnecessary load requirements.
Simple visual readout of Tonnage Load Monitor is far easier and quicker than parts inspection for detecting unusual changes in die conditions.

QUALITY CONTROL
The control of part quality is normally accomplished by inspection, either within a designated department of supervisory control. If inspection is too infrequent due to work load and part imperfection results from die wear, costly number of rejects can result, before error is corrected.
Tonnage Load Monitors used when dies are new or resharpened will provide an initial parameter for quality of part. When part6 quality falls below acceptable standard due to worn dies, a second parameter is established. By recording both know parameters, the useful life of a die set can be determined for future reference by readout of Load Monitor.

OVER DEPENDENCE ON HYDRAULIC OVERLOADS
Many large mechanical presses are being purchased today equipped with hydraulic overload protection. This system detects tonnage overload in the pitman's and instantly releases in the event of overload. However, presses equipped with hydraulic overloads are often tripping before the pre-set tonnage is reached. the premature tripping results from undetected unbalanced load distribution in the pitman's.
Equal load distribution is essential to effectively use hydraulic overload cutoffs and can only be determined by balanced distribution - under load. Tonnage Load Monitors are ideally suited to assist in determining the balanced load distribution.