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Fabrication Flexibility
in a Changing Marketplace
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| Barry Fagen, vice president
(right) and operations manager Marcel Reweghs chose
the Finn-Power Shear Genius FMC and Express Bender
after searching for the latest technology in the
sheet metal fabrication industry. |
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A changing lighting market led to a recent
search for more flexible sheet metal fabricating equipment
for a Canadian company. Peerless Electric Company Ltd., Montreal,
Quebec, specializes in the manufacture and supply of lighting
fixtures for the commercial, industrial, and institutional
markets. Since its creation in 1939, Peerless has constantly
changed to meet the needs of its customers. However, according
to Peerless vice president Barry Fagen, today's challenges
of increased competition combined with short lead times for
its "custom" product lines, created an urgent need to closely
analyze and modify the company's manufacturing operations.
"The
bidding process and manufacturing realities of the lighting
industry have changed dramatically during the 1990's," explains
Fagen. "Approximately 60% of
the products Peerless manufactures are custom made and do not appear in our catalog.
When a bid for lighting is received, we immediately work with engineers and architects
to design lighting for applications that will provide the proper lighting in
the most energy-efficient manner. In prior years, we sometimes had a year to
produce our products and meet our delivery dates. Today it is more like 6-8 weeks."
Uptime levels have reached
an amazing 94% on the
Shear Genius.
Fagen
explains that until recently, Peerless had an older production mentality. "We
would buy our sheet metal cut to size or shear it into blanks at our facility.
We had two turret punch presses and would feed each sheet individually and
then stack them for secondary operations. With the various levels of manual
labor - shearing,
loading, unloading, bending, etc. - production was slow and unpredictable.
We made the decision to look for ways to improve and become more flexible in
our sheet metal fabrication."
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With the Shear Genius concept, the objective is to provide a machine capable of transforming a full-size sheet into finished parts. These parts can be moved to the final production stages for immediate integration directly into the final product assembly. |
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After purchasing a coil punching line at the
Euro-Blech trade show in 2000, Fagen returned to Hanover
in 2002 with his company's operations
manager Marcel Reweghs to search for the latest sheet metal fabrication technology.
Soon they discovered Shear Genius - an hydraulic turret punch press/integrated
right angle shear combination Flexible Manufacturing Cell - at the Finn-Power
booth.
With the Shear Genius concept, the objective
is to provide a machine capable of transforming a full-size
sheet into finished parts. These parts can be moved to the
final production stages for immediate integration directly
into the final product assembly. The Finn-Power Shear Genius accomplished
this in less floor space - approximately 9 meters of space to fabricate
raw material into finished parts on one machine.
The Shear Genius is able
to perform the most demanding jobs with minimal set-up times and "lights
out" unmanned
operations. Shear Genius increases material productivity through efficient
and versatile nesting programs. As loading, punching/forming & upforming,
unloading, sorting, and stacking become automated, the result is a finished
part with a dramatic reduction in scrap and manual labor while increasing
productivity.
Other benefits of the Shear Genius include:
Tool
Holders - Finn-Power
incorporates an individual tool holder concept that allows customers
to design their own turret layouts. Unlike other designs, specific
tool stations are not machined into the turret. Finn-Power
offers the only flexible selection of tool holders in the
industry. Any tooling style from Mate Precision Tooling or
Wilson Tool International can be installed in a Finn-Power
turret. Up to 10 auto-index, forming, or Multi-Tool® stations
may be installed in a Finn-Power turret.
Auto-Index - Finn-Power's
unique auto-index system precisely rotates the punch and die in their
tool holders using a single A.C. servo-motor system. The system does
not need to match separate servo-motors as in some other machines.
Rotation in .001 degree programmable increments gives the machine
the ability to rotate beyond 360 degrees, thus allowing the
system to automatically select the shortest path to rotate
to a programmed angle input into the NC part program with
simplicity, speed, and reliability. Peerless has four auto
index stations.
Multi-Tool® - Finn-Power's
Multi-Tool stations increase the number of tools available in a turret,
thus reducing set-up and increasing productivity. The Multi-Tool
system allows multiple tools to be put in one station. Finn-Power
Multi-Tool offers 6, 8, 10, or 24 different punch/die combinations
in only one station-a turret within a turret. Using a 40
station alpha/numeric Multi-Tool part identification programs
are fast and easily done. Peerless has an 8-station, a 10-station,
and a 24-station Multi-Tools.
"With the Finn-Power Shear Genius and Express Bender, we now truly have flexibility."
Upward Forming System - Finn-Power's
upward forming option provides more accurate forming and greater
forming heights up to 16 mm (.63") and 5" in diameter.
Another advantage is that all dies are at the same height
and there are more high-forming dies in the turret, thus,
reducing risk of material damage and increasing machine
uptime.
| The Finn-Power Express Bender enhances productivity by bending extremely high-quality parts in an unmanned environment in any quantities. Sheet sizes and part complexity can vary greatly with a machine capacity up to 11 gauge. |
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The level of automation can be customized
through Finn-Power flexible modular solutions for raw material
storage, loading, unloading, sorting, and stacking. These
features can be added later as budget allows and production
demands increase.
The Shear Genius ease of operation
does not compromise the cell's
per minute part production, flexibility, or ability to fabricate
complex parts. On average, the Finn-Power Shear Genius
reduces total manufacturing time by 60% and saves one
blank sheet out of every 10.
The Shear Genius FMC breaks
the barriers of the average flexible manufacturing cell
to create a "smart
cell".one that offers
a combination of benefits. Shear Genius is more than just a turret
and shear performing linear operations. It is designed and synchronized
to achieve high fabrication production and unprecedented speeds.
Fagen
purchased the Finn-Power Shear Genius and it was installed
in March 2003. At the same time, he also purchased the
Finn-Power Express Bender. The Express Bender automates
complex bending and reduces tedious and costly work stages.
It fully automates the operation cycle - from loading
the sheet to unloading the bent parts. The sheet is loaded automatically
onto the work table by a robot where a manipulator pushes against
the positioning pins. The manipulator holds the work
piece firmly during all the manipulation phases. The
Express Bender enhances productivity by bending extremely
high-quality parts in an unmanned environment in any
quantities. Sheet sizes and part complexity can vary
greatly with a machine capacity up to 11 gauge.
The Shear
Genius eliminates wasteful skeletons and costly secondary
operations such as deburring. Nibble edges on the part
exteriors were eliminated through the use of the integrated
right angle shear.
Shear Genius also eliminates the potential
of mistakes when manually shearing a large sheet. In
the Shear Genius, the sheet is loaded and squared automatically,
and there is no human interference, ensuring very accurate
parts. In fact, the same clamps that hold the sheet for
punching also hold it for shearing. In essence, the Shear
Genius allows the automated process to begin with a full-sized
sheet of material and end with a finished part after
automated loading, punching, forming, shearing, and unloading - all
in one operation.
"We purchased the Shear Genius and Express Bender to facilitate our Just in Time
(JIT) production and to eliminate the levels of our work in process
(WIP) inventories," says
Fagen. "Today, the majority of our custom products are fabricated
on the Shear Genius. Each month, we are also forming more products
on the Express Bender."
The Shear Genius operates three shifts, 24/7.
In order to keep the cell running under this demanding schedule,
from the time the Shear Genius was installed, Peerless has
made proper tool and machine maintenance a top priority.
Each Saturday, Quan Wang Yang, operator of the Shear Genius,
spends the morning sharpening tools and carefully following
the prescribed maintenance procedures of oiling, greasing,
cleaning, etc. But Yang takes his concern and dedication
to another level. He meticulously removes the punched slugs
by hand. "When
you use an air hose to dislodge the slugs," explains Yang, "who
know where the slugs are scattered? By removing them by hand,
I know they can do no damage to the Shear Genius." This
dedication has paid handsome dividends for Peerless. Uptime levels
have reached an amazing 94% on the Shear Genius.
| Members of the Peerless
Electric management team include (from left
to right) Joseph Aliberti, president; Barry
Fagen, vice president; Francine Samuels, vice
president; and Luis Picanco, national sales
manager. |
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In addition
to adding equipment, Peerless had to retrain its personnel
to think "outside
the box" in terms
of redesigning products in order to make them more efficient
with the same or higher quality. For example, a fixture is
comprised of four basic elements: a body or channel, end
covers, socket brackets, and a ballast cover. "Our
Gymnasium line requires punching, bending, and then spot
welding these parts together," explains
Fagen. "It
would take two people a day to produce a total of 40 parts.
By contrast, with the Shear Genius and Express Bender, we
have redesigned the unit to be comprised of one piece, and
this allows us to produce 120 units per 8-hour shift with
only one person. That is a substantial savings."
"With the Finn-Power Shear Genius and Express Bender we now truly have flexibility
and are able to provide better customer service, shorter lead
times, and higher quality. We can provide it faster and better than before."
To obtain a copy of
the complete Peerless Electric Company Ltd. customer profile, contact Tiina
Alanko at (847) 885 3200 or tiina@finnpower.com
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710
Remington Road 
Volume
14 Issue 1 -
July 2004