Tag Archives: Industrial PR

Automatic stripping of core-molded EPDM pipe seals

REP offers a simple and economical solution to a problem that is familiar to manufacturers of pipe seals.

The stripping process…often the stumbling block of the moulding process
When performed manually, the stripping process is often very difficult and productivity is considerably impacted; when being performed automatically, the challenge is to do it quickly without any heat loss and without production stoppages, due to overlapping seals. The solutions generally implemented in the industry today, such as molding with two sets of rotating core bars, require a very large press opening stroke to perform the core bar rotation outside the press and/or front and rear stripping units that lead to considerable space requirements and very high capital costs.

A simple and efficient solution
REP has recently worked on several projects and today offers its customers a competitive and profitable turnkey solution for reduced size on the automatic stripping of EPDM pipe seals of any size. You can watch the stripping process on http://www.youtube.com/REPinternational.

The solution can be matched to any seal size.   It is based on conveyor belts equipped with rotating belts, allowing for the individual stripping of the seals. The spacing between the bottom and top belts can be easily adjusted, thanks to a mechanical stopper system, thus making it possible to switch over from one seal type to another. The rotation speeds of the top and bottom belts can also be adjusted independently.

The belts are designed in compliance with a multi-layer technology, in order to ensure the reliability of the stripping process and the speed, while observing the quality of the stripped parts. In addition, the core bar in/out speeds on the kit (low/high speed, depending on the stroke limit) can be controlled. The kit is fully retractable for easy access to the cores on the rear side of the machine, allowing maintenance operations or more rapid production changes.

Project example for a pipe seal of a nominal diameter of 50 and 100mm

The equipment
The machine proposed is an injection molding machine REP V69Y50 with a clamping force of 400 tons, including a kit specially designed for automatic stripping, a vacuum system, hydraulic top and bottom ejectors and ancillary heating comprising heating elements inside the cores to hold the core temperature during the stripping process.

The tooling consists of a 112-cavity mould (2 cores) and a 2-nozzle cold runner block for the part of a nominal diameter of 110mm. For the part of a nominal diameter of 50mm, we use a 208-cavity mould (4 cores) and a 4-nozzle cold runner block.

The cycle
After the mould opens, the ejectors move out to lift the frame-supported cores. The cores move to the rear of the press (electrical movement) and simultaneously the rotation of the two belts allows for sequential stripping of the pipe seals.

The runners are automatically stripped and separated from the parts during the core bar translation. Metal guides are used to separate the runners as the core bars index on the kit.

The runners are recovered in a receptacle inside the cage, whereas the parts are recovered at the discharge end of the cage extension in a receptacle or using an automatic conveyor.

When the cores move inside press, a laser detection unit is activated to guarantee no seal adheres to the cores. If this is the case, an alarm signals for operator action at the end of the in-stroke of the cores.

The result
On this project, the customer’s profitability requirements have been met. The stripping time reached for both types of seals was approximately 40 seconds.

The entire system is competitively priced, with an excellent investment/payback ratio. This is a simple, rugged solution that is both reliable and easy to control during production.

For more information, please contact…

REP CORPORATION
8N470 Tameling Court
Bartlett, IL 60103
Phone: 847-697-7210
www.repinjection.com
Tim Graham, President
tgraham@repcorp.com

Ann Arbor, Michigan – GMTA (German Machine Tools of America) represents various top-quality German metalworking machine builders companies, including Wera Profilator, K + G, Pittler, Praewema and WMZ, as well as Arnold lasers. These machines are sold to the North American market by GMTA, primarily for gear and spline production, as well as other power transmission and various metalworking applications. The company’s target markets include automotive, off-highway, energy and other heavy equipment manufacturing. Machines are provided for gear honing, gear grinding, the patented Scudding® process for gearmaking, polygon milling, turning, gear tooth pointing and multi-task machining operations, as well as various laser operations or laser line integration. This newsletter is provided to our friends in the media to keep you and your readers updated on News of Note at GMTA.

In the news…

Hard Scudding™ will change the face (pun intended) of gearmaking!

-GMTA will exhibit at several shows upcoming, including EMO in Milan and Gear Expo in Detroit.   At the latter, the company will show its latest development for gearmaking, namely, the Hard Scudding process. Just a few years ago, the concept of Scudding®, developed by GMTA and its partner company Wera in Germany, left the traditional skiving method in the dust, so to speak, for internal gear production used primarily in the powertrain buildup. This process, 5-10 times faster than gear shaping, formed the surface of the workpiece through several, small enveloping cuts, providing a surface finish and part quality level that was far superior to hobbing, shaping or broaching. Scudding is a continuous generating process, meaning no idle strokes on the machine tool, as when shaping gears.   Ring gears, sliding sleeves and annulus gearing, whether internal helical or spur, external helical or spur or blind spline, synchronizer parts with block tooth features and synchronizer hubs remain among the popular products in the market, made with Scudding technology.

Today, this continuous gear cutting process is widely used in production environments for internal, external, helical and spur gears, as well as splines and other components in the powertrain world. The machining can be done without the need for an undercut or groove (clearance) and lead of the gear can be manipulated via axial motions (crown/taper).   It is a demonstrably superior technology and automotive suppliers have embraced its advantages for many years now.

Impressive a technology as it is, the industry took another step forward recently with our new process known as Hard Scudding™. The conventional Scudding process provides excellent results on green or soft gears, while this new advancement enables the re-machining of hardened gears with a tooth-to-tooth composite error and total composite error in the AGMA 12, DIN 5 range and a surface finish better than 1.5 Ra.

The capital investment is minimal for shops and production departments already doing Scudding, because the same gear can be run on the same CNC machine, using a solid carbide tool to do the work. Recent testing done on various internal automotive powertrain and agricultural machinery ring gears is showing extremely positive results.   Stock division calculations on the tooth position are standard technology for GMTA and Profilator, so re-cutting is quick and easy. Using the latest CNC technology to control the machine kinematics, users are able to transfer this technology to Scudding machinery that is already deployed in the field. Thus, the same part can be cut on different machines at different times, allowing for more flexibility in scheduling. With today’s portable programming, onscreen or offline tool path and cutting condition simulation, plus the immediacy of call-up onscreen for all values and tolerances in real time, the busy machine shop or large production department stays flexible and demand responsive, using this Hard Scudding technology. In some cases, this new technology is applicable on near net, pre-hardened gear blanks, allowing significant step reductions in the manufacturing process.

In operation, cutting 60-100 thousandths per flank on a tooth, the Hard Scudding process can be used on a carburized or through-hardened parts; nitriding generally does not provide enough case depth to ensure sufficient stock for “clean-up”.   An automotive ring gear, for example, which requires 40-50 seconds for Scudding can be produced with Hard Scudding in 25-30 seconds.   This process development stands as a viable and very cost-effective alternative to conventional grind-and-hone operations, yielding a highly attractive cost per piece and extended tool life scenario.   The added benefits of reduced capital outlay and a significantly more consistent end product bode well for the automotive powertrain and other gear market segments.

STOP BY BOOTH 2109 IN DETROIT, OCTOBER 20-22 TO LEARN MORE OR CALL SCOTT KNOY TODAY!

-GMTA management will be attending EMO in Milan with its partners, then exhibiting at Gear Expo, being held this year in Detroit, October 20-22.

-GMTA is running at “light speed” with their new Arnold laser work cells. Available as single or double work cells, the Arnold systems are offered as CO2 or fiber lasers, with full integration into a machining line, either by means of robotic part articulation or other automated transfer mechanisms, most of which are being supplied to customers by GMTA engineering.   Leads from the last IMTS and the company’s aggressive ad program are already being developed into serious opportunities for the company, often in tandem with other machine tool lines and auxiliary equipment now offered by GMTA, according to company President Walter Friedrich.   The most recent development is laser cladding, a process of simultaneous metal deposition and fusion, with an extremely high degree of control on the geometry.   This technology has considerable application in the aerospace, medical, power gen and oil & gas market segments, in addition to the GMTA home base of automotive.

-The new Mexican office of GMTA, located in Queretaro, is reporting brisk activity, owing to the substantial procurement authority in-country now. According to VP Scott Knoy, “This contrasts with bygone days, when the decision-making and purchasing were largely centered in America and specifically in Detroit. It’s a whole new ballgame with the Mexican market today and we believe our new location (Queretaro) there is well positioned to serve this dynamic manufacturing environment.” GMTA already has a substantial installed base of machines in Mexico from all their partner companies. At the new facility, machines are in place for demo and test runs, plus the facility is fully staffed with application engineering, technical support, after-sale service and parts inventory.

-Sales continue to be brisk on the 9- and 10-speed transmission projects in the automotive market. Scott Knoy, GMTA VP, comments, “We’re seeing a lot of activity here in the States and in Mexico, so we know our timing was right with the opening of our new facility there.”

Claudia Hambleton

-As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to education, GMTA Corporate Treasurer Claudia Hambleton volunteers for the Junior Achievement program in Saline, Michigan for educating K-12 students about jobs, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness in today’s competitive and changing market. She is active in the recruitment of local business people in the area to assist the program.

-The alliance with Star SU, through which GMTA is sourcing tooling locally, continues to prosper and mutually benefit both companies.

– We are proud to announce a business transaction between the Profilator Group and the Dr. Dieter Murmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft, in which Dr. Dieter Murmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft has acquired all shares of the Profilator Group, consisting of Profilator GmbH & Co. KG and the U.S. affiliate company GMTA (German Machine Tools of America Inc.). The Murmann family has long term plans with the Profilator Group to act as an autonomous business, striving for future success and ongoing technical developments. The current management team of the entire Profilator Group will remain the same, including Thomas Buchholz as Managing Director of Profilator in Wuppertal, Germany and Walter Friedrich as President of GMTA.

-GMTA is a corporate sponsor of the Smart Factory Industry Forum, being sponsored by the German American Chamber of Commerce and held at the Digital Manufacturing & Design Innovation Institute in Chicago on October 9.

For more information on this announcement, please contact:

GMTA (German Machine Tools of America)
4630 Freedom Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone: 734-973-7800
Fax: 734-973-3053
Web: www.gmtamerica.com
Email: scott@gmtamerica.com
Attention: Scott Knoy, VP
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