Suppose you’re anything like McLoone Metal Graphics. In that case, you’ve probably experienced the same problem when shopping for a smaller press: finding a stamping press supplier who will work with what you have and customize a press to your specific needs. McLoone Metal Graphics Story: Stamping Solutions at any Production Volume Matt Dearman–Tooling, Maintenance, and Engineering Manager of McLoone– shares his insight on how Sangiacomo Presses Americas catered to their small press needs and capabilities as a facility doing a lot of small volume jobs to produce product IDs. McLoone purchased three 30-ton C-frame Sangiacomo punch presses in late 2018 to use in their process of manufacturing metal nameplates. This adjustable stroke press is well suited for applications with higher production speeds for increased productivity, like blanking and stamping. The T-30CE press features the following, plus standard features not listed here: 13.78-inch max die height (table to ram distance) 80-200 strokes per minute 0.31-2.99 inches adjustable stroke length 2.36-inch ram adjustment (slide adjustment) 300 kN max capacity Additionally, McLoone recently installed their fourth Sangiacomo press—a 50-ton adjustable stroke press. For technical details on this press and the 30-ton press, download our C-frame product brochure here. The Dilemma It was time for McLoone to replace their old 22-ton gap frame presses, but other press suppliers weren’t offering the needed solutions. Specifically, they needed new presses compatible with the library of 10,000 dies they’ve used since the ’60s. This meant that they needed smaller presses with clearances compatible with the dies. If you’ve ever been in McLoone’s shoes, you know what this implies. They had to seek out smaller, niche suppliers of smaller ton presses willing to sell you only what you need and nothing you don’t. Matt explains, “A lot of press manufacturers want to sell you a 200-ton straight-side press. So, the market for a smaller gap frame press is a bit more laser-focused. I guess there are just not as many companies that even want to get into that business. That said, there are still some niche manufacturers out there. We considered a few of them, but again– we're looking at the size of the actual press itself, the compatibility to what we had, the speed of the press, the ease of setup, and the changeover time.” The Solution Matt continues, “As I said, there's not a ton of manufacturers out there that are selling new, smaller presses, so we chose Sangiacomo because of their willingness to build a machine that was close to what we wanted. It was also nice working directly with the manufacturer in Italy. We made some modifications to the presses, so it wasn't just off of the assembly line. The shank-sized pole was different from what you typically have, and we had custom poles in the bolster plates and bolster plate thicknesses. So, by being willing to work with us instead of selling what they make, they provided us a machine that we could use.” Better Changeovers and Feed System Integration Aside from the initial impression of working with Sangiacomo, Matt highlights the ease of changeovers and feed system integration with a Sangiacomo adjustable stroke press: “We do a lot of smaller volume runs, meaning we have orders for 500 pieces. We might change a die in and out of a punch press three times in an 8 to 10-hour shift so that changeover time is important to us. We don't want to spend two hours changing a die over. With Sangiacomo, our changeovers usually only take 15 to 20 minutes. We have a good system down for SMED, and we try to keep our changeover times down with the flexibility of the guarding and everything else”, Matt says. Regarding the feed system integration, Matt adds, “We use a specific feed system that allows a tight register between the printing and the cutting for our nameplates. Since the feed manufacturer also uses Sangiacomo presses in building integrated systems that they sell, we knew that it would adapt very well and enable us to wire the feed into the control of the press and have the needed handshake of the feed and the press. In our industry, we don’t just stamp raw aluminum–it’s mostly all screen printed to suit our customers’ designs, logos, and artwork. Because of this, we have to maintain a tolerance of 10 thousandths of an inch between the printing and the cutting. So, it has to be right there– regular pneumatic feeds just don't work for our industry.” To summarize McLoone’s experience with the initial design and use of their adjustable stroke presses from Sangiacomo, Matt concludes, “We had to have something that was going to work with our feeds at the right speed with safety. Those are our biggest three criteria, but with the price and, again–the adaptability and willingness to work with us to build the size of presses that we needed rather than what you sold– was a big decision maker.” To learn why Sangiacomo Presses Americas offers some of the best stamping presses, check out other timesaving and productivity-increasing advantages of an adjustable stroke press here. Related Pages: C-Frame Presses About McLoone Metal Graphics McLoone is a product identification manufacturer in La Crosse, WI. They specialize in ID plates, custom nameplates, labels, and graphic overlays for commercial and industrial applications in nearly every industry. To learn more, visit their website here. McLoone Metal Graphics 75 Sumner St La Crosse, WI 54603 Phone: 800-624-6641 Email: info@mcloone.com
As discussed in our previous article about the relationship between downtime and repair costs, there's also a relationship between tool life and impact velocity when a press is in action. Let's discuss how to get longer tool life with an adjustable stroke press. You probably already know that tool maintenance can be expensive. There are preventative technologies out there that are worth investing in to protect and maintain the longevity of your tools. One of these preventative technologies is an adjustable stroke press. How does an adjustable stroke press increase tool life? Recall that an adjustable stroke press uses shorter strokes. This inherently reduces the velocity at the point where the die punches make contact with the material. Similar to a person going down a short slide, the impact of a person hitting the ground at the end of the slide will be much less than when going down a long slide. This is because velocity has a chance to build up, resulting in a higher impact upon contact with the ground. The more this person goes down the long slide with faster velocity, the quicker their body will begin the ache from the repeated impact with the ground. So, when the stroke length on an adjustable stroke press is reduced, the impact velocity is also reduced, resulting in less wear and tear to your tools and dies over time. Want to see a technical illustration of ram velocity on an adjustable stroke press vs. a fixed stroke press? Check out our other article here. Contact us today to learn more about our adjustable stroke press technology and discuss your stamping needs.
There are many ways you can extend the life of your press through preventative maintenance, but we won't be covering that today. What we will be covering is one way to extend press life through adjustable stroke press technology. An adjustable stroke press has variable stroke length built into the machine. With a manual 15 minute stroke change, the press can do different types of forming all on the same press-- stamping, blanking, coining, and deep drawing. They key concept here is that only an adjustable stoke press allows you to do this and not worry about damaging the press frame from misuse. Breakdown of longer press life with an adjustable stroke press Consider all that goes on inside a press while it's running: Repeated ram movements, tools making contact with the material being formed, and other dynamic forces. These forces can become harmful and damaging to the press frame and drive system. However, when stroke length is reduced to the shortest stroke possible, you reduce those harmful forces and increase the life of the press. In a previous article, we used this graph to illustrate the effect of ram velocity on throughput, but it can also be used to explain longer tool life with an adjustable stroke press: This graph compares the impact velocity of a long stroke (40 mm) and a short stroke (20 mm) during a full ram rotation, at 50 strokes per minute. At 90 degrees, the ram velocity curve of the 20 mm stroke (yellow) is 5 inch/s faster than the 40 mm stroke (orange). Though this difference may seem small, when you consider the unnecessary ram movement from the longer stroke (40 mm), that 5 inch/s difference from the shorter stroke (20 mm) has a significant effect on press life. Therefore, by using a shorter stroke that's achievable with an adjustable stroke press, it's possible to reduce stress to press frame and drive system overtime. Want to learn more? Contact a sales representative today to talk technical specs of our adjustable stroke presses.
Every penny matters whether you're a high-volume production facility or a small metal forming shop, which is why we often hear one common question: what makes an adjustable stroke press worth the investment? There is a close relationship between downtime, machine utilization, and costs; when your press is down, or it isn't optimal for the job it is running the costs can become significant. It is worth every company's effort to track and measure maintenance, repair, and downtime costs to evaluate whether new machinery is worth the investment. If you're in search of a new stamping press that can reduce downtime and boost your return on investment an adjustable stroke press is worth considering. How can an Adjustable Stroke Press Boost Operational Efficiency? To illustrate the value of investing in more efficient presses, let's go through an ROI example using real customer data from a study conducted by Sangiacomo Presses Americas in 2019. A customer was using two 25-year-old presses 50% of the time each. They replaced them with one adjustable stroke press machine. They could now use one machine 100% of the time instead of two machines 50% of the time. An adjustable stroke press is suitable for multiple types of metal forming because the stroke length can be adjusted to allow for varying tools and applications. Because of this, the customer was able to get rid of their old presses and just use one press machine at 100%. Objective 1: What are the savings during the first two years? Objective 2: What is the machine's ROI in savings? Assuming machine replacement every ten years $80k adjustable stroke press over two years: 1 press every 10 years: 2 x 80,000/10 = $16,000 Opportunity costs, better floor space utilization: 24 months x $600 = $14,000 Tool Maintenance, est. 1 service/year: 2 x $2500 = $5,000 Repair costs, est. 1 incident/year: 2 x $1000 = $2,000 Lost shift due to component failure, est. 1/year: 2 x $1000 = $2,000 Maintenance cost, est. 1 shift/year: 2 x $1000 = $2,000 Total savings over two years on a press that costs $80,000: $41,400 What Does This Mean for You? By replacing their old stamping presses with an adjustable stroke press, the customer was able to compensate for the $80k upfront cost in 4 years, leaving six years or more of positive ROI excluding regular maintenance calls. With modestly complex tooling and one shift per day, this is the ROI-improving performance we typically see with our customers: 10-25% higher production rates 20-30% longer die life 10-30% reduction in downtime Questions to ask yourself when assessing the ROI of an adjustable stroke press * These final numbers were used in the above ROI example using real customer data 1. The Cost of Non-Production Evaluate the impact of underutilization on your metal stamping operation’s efficiency. An adjustable stroke press, serving as a flexible and adaptable solution, can significantly free up valuable floor space for additional revenue-generating activities, effectively enhancing your stamping operation's overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). ROI Example: 10' x 20’ sq ft and machine utilized 50% more Floor space: $6/sq ft per month 200 sq ft x 6 = $1200 50% x $1200 = $600* $600 savings from better floor space utilization 2. The Impact of Tool Life and Maintenance Expenses By using the shortest possible stroke for a given stamping job with an adjustable stroke press, the impact velocity is decreased, thereby reducing wear and tear on the tool and increasing its life up to 50%. ROI Example: Doubling the tool life of a midsized tool and die that costs $5,000 to repair 50% x $5000 = $2,500* $2,500 savings in tool maintenance per tool 3. Repair Costs and Downtime Reduction One premature failure of a mechanical/electrical component can amount to around $1000 in repair costs per incident. Sangiacomo Presses incorporates commercially available electrical components into all their presses. Making part procurement much more streamlined which equals less machine downtime and hoops to jump through when ordering replacement parts. Strategic Stamping Insights With its flexibility, efficiency gains, and ROI, the adjustable stroke press is a step toward optimizing your manufacturing process. By choosing an adjustable stroke press vs a fixed stroke press, you're not just keeping pace with industry advancements but setting the stage for future growth, innovation, and competitiveness. Ready to improve ROI and optimize your metal forming operations with an adjustable stroke press? Contact us today to get an ROI assessment or a quote.
In a previous article, we explained why the shortest stroke is optimal for efficient stamping operations. Now, let's explain how shorter strokes using an adjustable stroke press enable more parts produced per minute and provide an advantage to high-volume stamping facilities. Most presses in our competitive market are fixed-stroke, meaning that they can only operate at one stroke length. Not only does this limit press operators in the type of forming they do on a single press, but it also has the potential to waste a lot of machine productivity. The solution to this problem is found with adjustable stroke length. Remember that with high-speed stamping, the optimal stroke is the shortest stroke possible. This is because the ram has less distance to travel, and therefore, the velocity is faster. With less unnecessary ram movement comes the advantage of higher speeds, resulting in more parts produced per minute. Let's illustrate this below: This figure compares the ram velocity of a 40 mm stroke (orange) and a 20 mm stroke (yellow) during a full rotation, at 50 strokes per minute. As can be seen in the graph, the ram velocity curve of the 40 mm stroke at 90 degrees is 10 inch/s, while the 20 mm stroke's ram velocity is 5 inch/s. The 5 inch/s difference between the two stroke lengths has a positive effect on throughput. With the 20 mm stroke length comes faster ram velocity, causing better use of energy. This example shows that you can increase throughput with an adjustable stroke press by using shorter strokes. We hope this short article helped you understand the important dynamic between adjustable stroke length and an increase in throughput. If you'd like to learn more about adjustable stroke press technology, check out this page. Interested in a Sangiacomo adjustable stroke press? Contact us to request a quote.
Inefficient and outdated stamping equipment can cause production bottlenecks in your stamping operations. These bottlenecks can result in significant downtime and backlogs, which we all know can affect your bottom line in a significant way. One of the most common culprits is the use of fixed-stroke mechanical presses that are only optimal for the type of forming for which it was designed. The Hidden Cost of Fixed-Stroke Mechanical Presses Repairs & Downtime Leading to Bottlenecks In the metal forming industry, efficiency is one of the most critical factors. Yet, many shops are handicapping their productivity levels by relying on separate fixed-stroke mechanical presses for different types of forming. This approach may seem perfectly logical, but it introduces significant vulnerabilities—primarily in the form of increased downtime due to maintenance, repairs, or the need for press replacement. Real-World Scenario Consider this typical scenario in a contract job shop equipped with one blanking press and one punch press. When the blanking press unexpectedly fails, operations grind to a halt with no immediate backup available. Fixed-stroke presses, by their design, lack the flexibility to optimally adapt to varying tasks, leading to operational bottlenecks and forced downtime during critical repair periods. Unfortunately, a fixed-stroke press does not offer the versatility of an adjustable stroke press. So, when one press is down, you have no backup. This causes backlogs and forced downtime while you wait for repairs or a replacement. The Implications of Making a Job Work If you operate with the mindset of we purchased a press with a longer stroke, so we can have the flexibility to run multiple jobs in one press you could be leaving money on the table and exposing yourself to the problems that were just discussed above. Using a longer stroke than necessary for a given application can lead to the following: Increased tool wear and premature breakages thanks to the higher impact velocity that comes from using a longer stroke. More dynamic forces within the press frame can drastically shorten the overall lifespan of your press. Less than optimal production caused by the increased time needed for the ram to travel the necessary distance to form the part. In summary if you are using a stroke that is longer than necessary you could significantly be affecting your bottom line and leaving money on the table due to unnecessary wear and tear on your equipment. The Strategic Solution?: Embracing Adjustable Stroke Press Technology The transition to adjustable stroke technology represents more than just an operational upgrade—it's a strategic move towards improved efficiency, flexibility, and resilience in your metal stamping operations. By reducing bottlenecks associated with fixed-stroke limitations, you not only streamline your production processes but also position your shop to better respond to the shifting demands of the market. Leveraging Adjustable Stroke Presses for Operational Efficiency More efficient floor space utilization: By replacing several fixed-stroke presses with a single adjustable stroke press, you can increase your available floor space. This space can then be repurposed for additional operations, storage, or even new machinery, further enhancing your shop's operational capabilities. Maximizing the return on your investment: With an adjustable stroke press, you can produce more parts per minute and reduce the wear on the press frame and tooling from an unnecessarily long stroke, resulting in less downtime and repair costs. See how an adjustable stroke press can improve your ROI Conclusion - Make Fixed-Stroke Presses a Thing of the Past In summary, while the investment in an adjustable stroke press may seem significant, the long-term benefits—operational flexibility, reduced downtime, enhanced floor space utilization, and a stronger ROI—make a compelling argument. As the metal forming industry continues to evolve, shops that embrace these versatile technologies will benefit from greater efficiency and productivity. To learn more about how an adjustable stroke press can transform your operations and mitigate production bottlenecks, visit our website or contact us for a personalized consultation. Discover the difference flexibility can make in your metal forming success.
Recently, ART Metals Group (ART) shared their experience with us. If you’ve ever doubted whether an adjustable stroke press has the ability to positively affect your company’s bottom line, you’ll want to keep reading this case study about how an adjustable stroke stamping press drives business growth. Chad Wyan, Director of Engineering at ART, located in Fairfield, OH, had a problem. ART was receiving a lot of requests for short-run production jobs and could not take them because of high tool costs in relation to the job size. Chad’s solution? A low-tonnage adjustable stroke press from Sangiacomo Presses. ART purchased a Sangiacomo T-50 C-frame flywheel punch press. This press is well suited for applications with higher production speeds for increased productivity, such as blanking and stamping. The T-50 C-frame press features the following, plus standard features not listed here: 15.75-inch max die height (table to ram distance) 140 strokes per minute (variable speed available as an option) 0.47-4.33 inch adjustable stroke length 2.76 ram adjustment (slide adjustment) 500 kN max pressure (capacity) Chad explains, “Since I joined the company, we were seeing estimates with a lot of lower volumes that didn't justify a multi-out approximately $50,000 tool to run 10,000 pieces a year. With the Sangiacomo press and the lower tonnage press, we decided we could make a single-out tool where we could interchange some components in one master die, make various parts with that tool, and be competitive on these lower volume quotes that nobody else really wants. So, even if it was a lower volume quote that nobody else wants to take, we can increase margin and lower tool costs, and it made good business sense.” Chad continues, “The adjustable stroke was key, giving us the ability to take a variety of parts and put more parts into that press than if I went with, say, a straight-sided press. With a straight-sided press, we would need to slow down the speed and go with a larger stroke to accommodate the same amount of parts.” “Once I could show that I can cover 80% or 85% of the quotes we're seeing that we typically just no-quote or pass on, and have the opportunity to bid on them and win some new customers, along with adding more business with existing customers, then higher management was all in on the adjustable stroke Sangiacomo press”, Chad explains. “Probably the other big thing about the Sangiacomo Press was the adjustable stroke on the press because we do mainly round work, but we do a large variety of it, and we kind of did the master die concept.” “Looking at it, we could run pretty much anything under four inches in diameter. And with the adjustable stroke, I can run faster on the smaller parts and slower on the larger parts, but I've got the flexibility to go between the two. Some of the other presses we have here are fixed strokes, so I'm running say a one-inch part, but I've got a six-inch stroke. Obviously, I'm wasting a lot of time. I'm only running 70 strokes a minute whereas, on the Sangiacomo adjustable stroke stamping press, I can crank it up to 180.” “So, with the feed line and everything, it fits into our existing floor plan. Now that we have it here, everybody likes the less expensive tooling. We can get a part into production in a lot quicker lead time because I'm not building a big die”, concludes Chad. Click here to see the full technical data on the Sangiacomo T-50 C-frame flywheel press. To view the full line of Sangiacomo presses, download our product brochure. Check out other time-saving and productivity-increasing advantages of an adjustable stroke press here. For more background on this story, check out this article that was featured in the September 2022 issue of MetalForming Magazine, written by Brad Kuvin. About ART Metals Group ART Metals Group is a full-service global supplier of precision metal stamping and assemblies, thrust bearings, and coining services. Based in Ohio, they serve numerous industries of Auto, Truck, Bus, Solar, HVAC, Military, AG, and more. ART specializes in providing quality products produced on time and under budget. Check out some of their past projects here. Interested in making ART your supplier? Contact them here: Email: sales@artmetalsgroup.com Phone: 513-942-8800 Fax: 513-942-3200 Address: 3795 Symmes Road, Fairfield, OH 45015
One of the most fundamental and commonly overlooked aspects of the metal stamping process is the use of the shortest possible stroke for a given application. Many stampers state that they are aware of the importance of this factor, but do not quite understand the benefits behind it. The Stroke Length Dilemma in Stamping Too often we hear from customers that they are in search of a press with a longer stroke than what is required for the tooling of a particular application all for the sake of ensuring flexibility in their operation. While yes having a longer stroke gives you the capability to run multiple jobs in the same press, stampers tend to not think of the consequences associated with this line of thinking. In this article, we'll break down some of the main reasons why using the shortest stroke for stamping processes is the best. But first, let's take a look at how stampers are often hurting their bottom line by ignoring this fundamental concept. The Hidden Costs of Using A Longer Stroke Than Necessary Using a longer stroke than what is needed can be detrimental in many ways regarding your process. It is important to understand the impact longer strokes can have on your process such as: Wasted Time - When using a longer stroke there is a great deal of wasted time and motion in the stroke, which leads to inefficiencies in throughput and quality. More time is spent on the ram traveling to the working portion of the stroke than in the working portion of the stroke. Increased Press Wear - Utilizing a longer stroke will have a detrimental effect on the life of your press. If the ram has to travel further than what is necessary there will be additional wear on the guides and the internal structure of the press, which will lead to more frequent maintenance and downtime. As we all know time is money in this industry, and maintenance can sometimes be expensive for mechanical issues. Increased Tool & Die Wear - When using a longer stroke there is greater impact velocity when the upper tooling makes contact with the material. High-impact velocities can lead to the tooling either becoming worn much faster than usual or even breaking prematurely. This will lead to more downtime due to waiting for the tooling to be sharpened or replaced, so this not only leads to more expenses for maintaining the press but also for keeping your tools in working shape. Decreased Part Quality - With the points above in mind, you will see the quality of the finished parts begin to drop off. More parts will be out of tolerance or not up to the customer standards equals more wasted time, effort, and ultimately money. While the idea may sound appealing in theory or when looking towards the future expansion of your business, you must keep in mind that there are a great deal of hidden costs. In summary, when you purchase a press with a stroke that is longer than what you need just to obtain added flexibility you must also consider the costs associated with doing so. Advantages of Using the Shortest Stroke Possible Using the shortest stroke in your stamping process is one of the simplest ways to improve your operational efficiency. Metal Stampers should understand what they can gain by employing the shortest possible stroke for a given process which includes the following: Reduction in Wasted Stroke - By having a reduced stroke there is less wasted motion. These more efficient strokes dedicate more time to forming, which is essential for producing high-quality in-tolerance parts. For example, consider two presses stamping material at 50 strokes per minute with a thickness of 0.25 inches, one press has a 12-inch stroke and the other uses a 6-inch stroke. The press with a 6-inch stroke notices a 42% increase in forming time over the press with a 12-inch stroke. Less Dynamic Forces in the Press - When moving the ram and upper die up and down over a shorter distance in a given amount of time you will see less harmful forces being imparted on the press frame and the drive system. Not only does this impact the drive system and the frame, but it will also preserve the integrity of the guides within the press. This leads to a longer lifespan for the mechanical components and structure of the press, meaning less downtime and maintenance will be required to keep the press performing optimally. Increased Effective Tool Life - When you shorten the stroke of your press to only what is needed the upper die has a decreased impact velocity as it makes contact with the material when compared to a longer stroke. The decrease in impact velocity will drastically improve the durability of your tooling and cut down on the occurrence of punches or guides breaking prematurely. This equates to less time and money spent on maintaining and fixing your tools which is another source of downtime. When comparing the two strokes the press with the press with the shorter stroke shows a 30% decrease in forming time. To summarize there are many advantages to utilizing the shortest possible for a given metal stamping application. Not only can you improve the throughput from a more efficient stroke, but you will also see drastic improvements in the life of your tooling and the press itself. These advantages will add more money back to your business's bottom line while also cutting down on the expenses required to maintain your equipment. The Most Optimal Stroke is Always the Shortest Stroke Based on the hidden costs of using longer strokes in your process, it is safe to say that it is well worth a company's time and effort to use the shortest possible stroke for a given process. To determine what the shortest stroke possible is for your application you must take the finished part and the time needed for feeding into account. Once these factors are examined you can gain insight into what the shortest stroke needed will be and can respond accordingly. Sangiacomo Presses Americas is ready to help you optimize your stamping operations with our adjustable stroke press. Still considering your options? Our team will gladly answer any questions or concerns you may have. Contact us today at 256-275-4701 or email us at info@sangiacomo-presses.com.