Advancements in Circular Material Blanking: The Innovations of Zigzag Feeders
time2017/11/23
- To maximize material utilization during circular blanking processes, FANTY Machinery has developed a specialized Zigzag Feeder, an enhancement built upon a standard NC feeder.
In the current landscape of circular material blanking production, particularly for components like motor stators and rotors, two distinct processing modes have prevailed. The first involves the procurement of sheet materials, which are manually fed into a press for individual punching to achieve circular blanking. The second method employs coil stock, which, after unwinding and leveling, is incrementally fed into press tooling via a feeder for continuous stamping and blanking.
While the second production mode significantly enhances efficiency and end-product quality, it shares a common challenge with the former – both modes are constrained by the progressive nature of the blanking process, primarily occurring along the material's extension direction. Given that the stamped products are circular, this inevitably results in substantial edge and corner waste, leading to significant material wastage.
To maximize material utilization during circular blanking processes, FANTY Machinery has developed a specialized Zigzag Feeder, an enhancement built upon a standard NC feeder. This innovative feeder features a dedicated oscillating frame, driven by servo motors, capable of precise horizontal movement. This design allows for two-dimensional plane material feeding in both longitudinal and lateral directions. Consequently, the tooling can directly perform oscillating stamping on the material, fundamentally reducing the generation of edge waste, lowering raw material wastage, and minimizing production costs.
The operational principles of the Zigzag NC Feeder are as follows: The material head, after uncoiling and leveling by the material rack, passes through the feeder's material support, feeding rollers, and discharge plate, subsequently entering the press tooling. On the 7-inch touch screen of the Zigzag NC Feeder, operators configure parameters including the desired feeding length, feeding width, circular diameter, and oscillation frequency. Upon initiating the Zigzag NC Feeder's automated operation, the servo motor controls the stamping action of the continuous die set through the vertical control unit while concurrently managing the material's forward distance and speed via the forward conveyor unit.
Simultaneously, the lateral translation drive unit is employed to control the material's lateral displacement, accomplished by moving the active frame, and consequently, the material itself horizontally. This ensures that the continuous stamping die systematically advances along the transverse direction of the sheet, puncturing each hole consecutively. After the first row of stamping is completed, the lateral translation drive unit shifts the active frame and the material laterally, and the forward conveyor unit advances the material appropriately, allowing the continuous die set to proceed with the second row of stamping.
By meticulously calculating the lateral and/or forward displacement distances for each translation, based on the punching hole diameter and sheet width, the gaps between the punched holes on the sheet are minimized. This optimization significantly enhances material utilization, thereby maximizing overall production efficiency.
In summary, the introduction of the Zigzag NC Feeder represents a groundbreaking advancement in circular material blanking processes. Its innovative design and operational principles address the long-standing challenge of edge and corner waste, ushering in a new era of increased material utilization and cost-effectiveness in manufacturing.