Sheet metalsummit in Hanover

EuroBLECH 2006

The BRANKAMP presence at thisyear’s EuroBLECH sheet metalworking technology exhibition inHanover (24-28 October) featuredfour new innovative products simul-taneously – UltraEmission, Easy-Vision, FactoryM and the PK4U.“Punching slug recognition in com-bination with cost-favorable devi-ces like the PK4U was a real hit,”said Hans-Peter Schneider, autho-rized representative for BRAN-KAMP. Equipped with highly-sen-sitive sensors, high-performanceevaluation procedures and a wealthof experience, the BRANKAMP“slugbuster” team out to eradicatethis annoying punching waste.

December 2006 · Edition 4 INTERNATIONAL · Volume 23 NEWS & TRENDS IN

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION

NewsBRANKAMP SUPPORTSSCHOOL IN SLOVENIAThe ProcessMonitoring specialistis supporting the mechatronicsengineering school in the Slove-nian town of Celje. To enablethese prospective engineers tolearn more about BRANKAMPengineering, the company hasalready installed a B400. In addi-tion, the school is getting Facto-ryM together with an IMC boxand terminal software.

OVERSEAS VISITORS

The two Canadian BRANKAMPagents, Mitchell Gordon and AmirWalden, visited at the end ofAugust for a quick refresher to topup their expertise in punching andcold forming. Hans Peter Schnei-der and Axel Terhaag trained thetwo Canadians at the company’shead office in Erkrath.

CAR PRODUCTION UP WORLDWIDEGlobal car production is up by sixper cent in the first half year 2006over the comparative period inthe previous year, rising to 35.4million vehicles. The internatio-nal organization of motor vehiclemanufacturers OICA (Organisa-tion Internationale des Construc-teurs d’Automobiles) is estima-ting growth for the full year 2006of well above five per cent, to 70million vehicles.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:“The best way to predict thefuture is to invent it”.

Alan Kay, US computer specialist

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Hot stuff

The special issue page 3

Absolutely accurate, and with true tracking precision (part 2)

continued on page 2

The BRANKAMP CMS ProcessMonitoring system, in use on a horizontal Mazak FH 5800 processing center.

BRANKAMP: The biggest monitor of hot-forming plants in the world

HM 75 type multi-stage pressescurrently in use in the world are

Production underway: the automated multi-stage press from Hatebur

The manufacture of brake, clutch and steering components for the automotive industry is a complexprocess. To achieve the greatest possible quality and safety, companies world-wide use automatic multi-stage presses. On these, the heated raw steel is pressed into its final form by undergoing a number of different forming stages. The biggest unit currently available, the HM 75 XL from the Swiss manufacturer Hatebur, applies a total pressing force of up to 18,000 kilonewtons during this process.

“Automatic forge units are capi-tal-intensive manufacturing plantswhich frequently prove to be bott-lenecks in the system. For thatreason, high machine availabili-ty is very important. Hatebur andBRANKAMP have developed anadapted pressing force monito-ring system especially for the Hot-matic Warmformer,” says Dr. Tho-mas Terzyk from PROKOS, aBRANKAMP subsidiary. Compa-nies around the world are puttingtheir trust in BRANKAMP Pro-cessMonitoring systems. TheErkrath-based company monitorsaround 50 Hatebur units aroundthe world, using PK5000, PK6000and PK6000i systems.

This makes BRANKAMP the big-gest monitor of hot-forming plantsin the world. The three automated

Tenseness and ice-cold feet canmake the car journey into some-thing of an ordeal. To spare yourback, neck etc. from being affec-ted so much, even on longer jour-

neys, experts recommendadjusting the back sup-port on the car seat toform a 110° angle.

Enjoy your trip at 110°

On most car seats, theback support is adjusted using

a side-mounted wheel. In orderfor the seat to remain in the desired position, the lockingmechanisms must function per-fectly.

With its innovative Process-Monitoring systems, BRANKAMPmonitors the production of thesetoothed wheels. Leading well-known car seat manufacturersare relying on the BRANKAMPPK6000 system for manufacturingtheir locking mechanisms.

NewsWIRE CHINA 2006Wire China has become an esta-blished event. In Shanghai, 923exhibitors from China and 31other countries presented theirproduct innovations. BRAN-KAMP was there too, exhibitingits ProcessMonitoring systems tothe Asian market. “It was a greattrade fair. We managed to makeplenty of new contacts,” saidGerd Köster (photo), who was inChina for BRANKAMP. At this,the second wire China event,machine manufacturers were alsoexhibiting their machines direct-ly in greater numbers too.

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December 2006

result is a massive economic loss,”says Terzyk. The BRANKAMPsystems support the operatoreven when setting up the tools. AsTerzyk says, “Through optimal

also monitored using “made inErkrath” ProcessMonitoring. “Anautomated multi-stage press likethat costs around ten millioneuros. If the press goes down, the

Well-adjusted!

In-Process monitoring with BRANKAMP

Slugbuster: on the hunt for slugs

continued from page 1

Anyone who travels a lot on business by car knows the problem: tensenessin the neck and shoulder area, and cold feet. The correct adjustment of

the car seat helps in preventing such symptoms.

In Sweden, real wages rose bet-ween 1995 and 2004 by a total of27.1 per cent. In second placecomes Greece, with 24.3 per cent.In Germany, employers only paidout 3.5 per cent more in wages in2004 than in 1995.

FIGURE OF THE MONTH:Rise in real wages, as aninternational comparison(1995-2004) in per cent:

Sou

rce:

VIK

Producing more, and more quickly, whilst maintaining consistent high quality – this is the challen-ge facing companies. For punching, the BRANKAMP rapid intervention team known as the “slug-busters” offers comprehensive protection against loss of quality. Using innovative systems and awealth of experience, they are out to collar the slugs.

SWEDEN: 27.1

GREECE: 24.3

USA: 19.8

UK: 19.6

DENMARK: 16.0

FINLAND: 15.0

IRELAND: 14.5

PORTUGAL: 14.1

NETHERLANDS: 10.7

AUSTRALIA: 10.3

FRANCE: 8.7

BELGIUM: 8.6

CANADA: 7.5

NEW ZEALAND: 6.4

AUSTRIA: 6.2

JAPAN: 6.0

LUXEMBOURG: 5.9

EURO ZONE: 4.1

GERMANY: 3.5

ITALY: 1.0

SPAIN: 0.6

On punching operations, liftingslugs are a frequent interruptionto the production flow. The higherthe stroke rate, the more likely itis that this phenomenon willoccur. This is why many blankingpresses operate “with the hand-brake on”. This punching wastenot only impairs the quality, butalso increases the risk of the toolbreaking. Random quality con-trols cannot offer comprehensivesafety, because punched partswith stamped slugs generallyoccur by chance and in isolatedinstances. An elaborate part-by-part check drives costs up to thepoint where competitive produc-tion is no longer possible. This is where BRANKAMP's “slugbu-ster team” steps in, offering high-

performance in-process qualitycontrol and avoiding expensivefollow-up costs. Using the Ultra-Emission sensor system and the

PK 4U systems, slugs are alreadyidentified during production. Thedirect route to problem-solving:slugbuster@brankamp.com.

setting of the process parameters,undesirable machine downtimesare minimized from the outset. Inaddition, the plant is protectedagainst permanent overstress.”

Hot stuff

Monitored by BRANKAMP

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December 2006T H E S P E C I A L I S S U E

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Process-monitoring on thread rolling machines

Using innovativeBRANKAMP threadroller monitoring,the thrust-carryingmember sensorcan for the firsttime ever be cali-brated. The opera-tor can then readoff the absoluterolling forces forthe feed and outputside to top and bottom. As a result, adjustment errorsduring the set-up phase, and theassociated increased machinewear, can be reduced to a mini-mum.

True tracking precision

A further critical point whensetting up the thread roller is accurate alignment of thetracking between the fixed andthe moveable roll jaw. Even if this alignment is still accu-rate when the machine is static,

The patented sensor recordsprecisely the tracking betweenthe fixed and the moveable roll jaw, and transfers the data to the monitor. The opera-tor can immediately see in which direction he needs to adjust the tracking. Thismeans that even inexperiencedoperators can achieve optimalset-up of the roll jaw tracking.

Comprehensive practical tests

The two BRANKAMP inno-vations have proven their worth in exacting and exten-sive practical tests. TheErkrath-based company is nowoffering complete solutions forthread rolling in the form of its PK 4U and PK 6000models.

If you are interesting inreading Part 1 of this article, please contact us on + 49 (0)211-250760

Absolutely accurate with true tracking precision (part 2)

Thread roller with adjustment screw

it changes as soon as the threadroller is in continuous use.Without ProcessMonitoring, the operator must carry out follow-up tracking adjustment,in a time-consuming process.BRANKAMP has developed the tracking sensor specificallyto address this problem.

Sensor installation by BRANKAMP

Together with the machine manufacturer E.W.MENN, BRANKAMP has developed a new procedure for monitoring threadrolling machines. As a result, unnecessary stresses on the machines caused by unmonitored set-up and production pha-ses are now a thing of the past. Even inexperienced operators can optimize the machine adjustment using the Process-Monitoring system.

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December 2006

Dr.-Ing. K. Brankamp System Prozessautomation GmbH, Max-Planck-Str. 9, D-40699 Erkrath

BRANKAMP GMBH, GERMANYPhone +49/ 211/ 25 07 60Fax +49/ 211/ 20 84 02eMail bpd@brankamp.com

BRANKAMP S.R.L., ITALYPhone +39/ 039/ 60 81 917Fax +39/ 039/ 60 85 207eMail bpi@brankamp.com

BRANKAMP INC., USAPhone +1/ 617/ 492 16 92Fax +1/ 617/ 497 56 75eMail bpa@brankamp.com

User-friendliness

Global by designUsing the new RFID technolo-gy which is integrated in theBRANKAMP PK6000i system,the operator can read off allproduction data using a mobi-le reading device. But theRFID chip can do a lot morethan that. Used as an ID chip,it recognizes the working lang-uage of the operator using thedevice at that moment andactivates the respective lang-uage in the ProcesMonitoringsystem.

For example, if an operator fromPortugal is beginning his shiftand logs on with his ID chip, theBRANKAMP system automati-cally switches to Portuguese inthe language selection. This ismade possible using an antennaintegrated in the RFID chipwhich sends the data wirelesslyto the ProcessMonitoring sys-tem. If a German, Spanish orFrench operator begins workafter the shift change, the iden-tification chip again sends the corresponding data to theProcessMonitoring system. Therespective working language ofthe operator is activated imme-diately. Operating errors causedby language difficulties are thusmade a thing of the past, thanksto the combination of RFID technology and BRANKAMPsystems.

I N N OVAT I O N I S T H E F U T U R E

ET 500

There is space – even on the smallest machine

During cutting processes in particular, monitoring ofproduction processes is especi-ally important. It is the onlyway to shorten equipping times,monitor tools and thus pro-tect machines. That is why BRANKAMP has developed a forward-looking solution – the ET 500.

For this, the ECO 500 is builtinto the switching cabinet as a base module. On the machineitself, only the space-saving ET industrial terminal is instal-led. The operator can control

the ECO 500 technology via the ET’s touchscreen interface.The advantage of this is thatthe ET offers a significantly bigger and thus more compre-hensible user interface, with its 10.5 inch monitor.

All the functions of the BRANKAMP ECO 500 systemare therefore available to theoperator in color.

These include:

Crash, break, trend and ope-rating interval monitoring

Display of process data foreach channelMulti-channel displayComprehensive counterfunctions (e.g.: order counter,shift counter etc.)Process-quality factordisplayAutomatic machine stop in the event of process deteriorationRecording and transmittingproduction dataAuto-testEnvelope curve analysiswith dynamic limitsOnline help via modem

In modern manufacturing, every centimeter of space is used. The BRANKAMP ET 500 – theinnovative front-end system of the ECO 500 – takes this into account: the operating terminaland the engineering are separated from one another. It is only the small ET industrial termi-nal which needs to be machine-mounted.