Dynamics and precision go hand in hand – our drive technology for press automation

Strothmann Machines & Handling’s latest press linking system sets new standards: the FeederPlus 6neo feeds up to 16 formed blanks per minute for vehicle bodies – each weighing as much as 60 kg – highly dynamically and with millimeter precision from one press to the next. This outstanding performance is achieved thanks to gearboxes, servo actuators and rack-and-pinion systems made by WITTENSTEIN alpha. Their exceptional power density means they can handle even high drive power and bearing loads in spite of their extremely compact design.

STROTHMANN MACHINES & HANDLING RELIES ON COMPONENTS FROM QUALITY SUPPLIERS

To see WITTENSTEIN simply as a component supplier would not do justice to the trusting partnership we have enjoyed throughout so many years.


Andreas Senge, Product Group Manager Press Automation and Handling Systems at Strothmann

STROTHMANN MACHINES & HANDLING RELIES ON COMPONENTS FROM QUALITY SUPPLIERS

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For an excellent impression of the FeederPlus 6neo, see here:

Backlash and vibration are absolute no-gos

The FeederPlus 6neo performs an important role in press automation – it links two presses together in a press line. The single-arm feeder removes a formed blank from one press and then places it in the next press ready for the next production step. The presses keep running continuously in sync with the trajectories of the FeederPlus 6neo movements. The fact that the feeder axes and the press tools are within a few centimeters of one another at times is a critical aspect for the process. Depending on the axis, low-backlash or backlash-free gearboxes offering the highest possible torsional and tilting rigidity are called for here in order to prevent collisions due to vibration or to guidance and positioning inaccuracies. However, these requirements were not supposed to be met at the expense of dynamics because when the FeederPlus 6neo was developed, the aim was first and foremost to increase the output from 12 to 16 parts per minute.

DRIVE DESIGN WITH CYMEX® 5 BASED ON MULTIBODY SIMULATIONS

Once again, we were able to rely on the gearbox’s technical data for this project as well as on the support and engineering expertise of our partner.

DRIVE DESIGN WITH CYMEX® 5 BASED ON MULTIBODY SIMULATIONS

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TAILORED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ROTATION AXES

TAILORED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ROTATION AXES

The rotation axes for the telescopic swivel arm (C1 axis) and the workholder (C2 axis) were key design priorities.

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WITTENSTEIN DRIVE TECHNOLOGY ENABLES NEW FEATURES

WITTENSTEIN DRIVE TECHNOLOGY ENABLES NEW FEATURES

The drive components supplied by WITTENSTEIN alpha allow the feeder to be provided with feature enhancements for the front-of-line (FoL) and end-of-line (EoL) press areas:

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POTENTIAL SAVING OF MORE THAN ONE MILLION EUROS PER PRESS LINE

POTENTIAL SAVING OF MORE THAN ONE MILLION EUROS PER PRESS LINE

The feature enhancements which were partly made possible by the dynamics and precision of the drive technology save the customer more than one million euros per press line.

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