04/23/2012

X150S Rounds Out Press Range for Schuler

Schuler has expanded its product categories to include a flexible press for the production of aerosol cans and tubes. With the new X150S press, Schuler now offers what is likely the world’s fastest impact extrusion press, which is used in the manufacture of aerosol cans and tubes. The X150S can reach up to 300 strokes per minute.

The addition of this press to the product line of a company that is already a world leader in the manufacture of presses for the automotive, aerospace, and pipe and tube industries, serves as a strategic hedge against economic uncertainty. Even during recessionary times, sales of consumer products, such as aerosol cans of hairspray and tubes of mustard, for example, remain steady.

Separation of the blank feeding and part removal processes makes the system extremely flexible.

Dies can be changed in a matter of minutes; the die holder is self-centering, which means no time is spent on adjusting the die relative to the punch. The lines themselves feature re-circulating oil lubrication with a piston distributor system for monitoring the lubrication quantity at each lubrication point.

Schuler’s first customer for the X150S is the packaging specialist Tubex, based in Rangendingen, Germany, a company that produces aerosol cans from aluminum. Such previously unknown speeds are now possible thanks to a special slide movement of the knuckle joint, which in contrast to conventional impact extrusion presses, boasts four joints. Both the forward and backward movement starts earlier, while the speed during forming is reduced.

Low speed, high quality

Lower slide speed during the forming phase means a gentler impact on the slug, which also protects the draw punch used and prolongs the die’s working life. The rigid, clearance-free slide guiding of the X150S ensures zero maintenance and wear, while also guaranteeing high precision and part quality.

At 10 millimeters, the maximum nominal forming travel of the X150S is much larger than that of conventional machines. This means thicker slugs can also be considered—and more material can be formed. The maximum length that can be impact extruded is 230 millimeters, while the maximum part diameter is 45 millimeters. No additional, complex ironing process is needed to achieve these dimensions in good geometrical quality.

A wide range of choices

The new X150S is one of seven impact extrusion presses in Schuler’s XS product line. The press forces of the models with monoblock bodies range from 150 metric tons with the X150S to 1,200 metric tons with the X1200S. Although none of the larger presses can each the high stroking speeds of the X150S, thanks to their longer stroke they can offer greater impact extrudable lengths. The two “big sisters” of the X150S, the X250S and the X300S—the numbers represent the respective press force in metric tons—can reach speeds of 250 and 200 strokes per minute, respectively. All models share the same precise cycle process, a decisive factor when producing at such high speeds.

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