06/07/2011

Time is money: shortest maintenance times in the automotive supply sector using Schuler’s hinged straighteners

Suppliers to the automotive industry are still under huge cost pressure, even after the global economic crisis. However, valuable production time is still being wasted by long maintenance periods and downtime. At the Blechexpo fair, the Schuler Group is showing a straightener which can meet the rising demands of automotive suppliers: Schuler’s low-maintenance, hinged straightener saves service time – and thus money.

Within the press line, the straightener is responsible for smoothing the previously unrolled metal coil. The straightener prepares the sheet metal for its actual forming process in the press. As the carefully coordinated rollers are very sensitive to dirt, the machine needs to be regularly cleaned. Schuler’s hinged straightener can be easily opened, leading to a drastic reduction in maintenance and resulting downtime for suppliers to the automotive industry. At the same time, individual adjustment of the upper rollers ensures optimum straightening results. Schuler’s straightener also boasts a particularly rigid design – of particular importance in the case of high straightening forces. With a maximum straightening speed of 40 m/min, the AC-SH-9-53/160-1300 hinged straightener exhibited at the fair can straighten steel, stainless steel and aluminum coil stock with widths of up to 1300 mm and thicknesses of 0.5 to 4 mm. The straightener can be flexibly scaled for higher performance levels or automation. As an aid for users, the Schuler machines feature automatic straightener settings which recommend specific values for the operator. The nine draw-in and straightening rollers are driven via a central transfer case with separate settings for the upper rollers. A further benefit is the possibility to thread in new coil stock while the coil end is still being processed.

The straightener’s head can be automatically opened 30° by the operator for visual inspection and cleaning. For maintenance purposes, it can also be opened manually by 90°. All metals with an ultimate elongation of at least ten percent and an accentuated yield strength can be straightened. An automatic cleaning device, as well as motor-driven, automatic roller adjustment, and a coil-end welding device are all optionally available in order to further reduce set-up times.

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