Success Story: Mechanical Engineering Controls Automation (MECA) Corporation

Market Served: Plastics

Eatons hydraulic components are a good match with MECA controls. They enable us to achieve +/-0.005-inch positional closing, which is critical in our molding process.
Jim Bour, MECA president

New Production Molding System Takes Shape with ACE Team, Eaton Products
Location: Elkhart, Indiana Segment: Manufacturing: plastics Challenge: Providing hydraulic sytem design and components for SAAM systems Solution: Eaton cylinders, valves, pumps, manifolds, lters, accumulators, hose, and ttings Results: Eaton hydraulic system supplies the precise closing motion and tonnage needed to produce quality, uniform containers Contact Information: Duane Jaros Eaton's Hydraulics Group (248) 226-6980

Background Eatons products and technical expertise in hydraulic system design have played a vital role in the introduction of a unique, production molding system. Large-bore cylinders and servo proportional valves from Eatons Hydraulics Group have leading role positions on the new automated Self-Aligning Actuating Mold (SAAM) systems, developed by Mechanical Engineering Controls Automation (MECA) Corporation of Elkhart, Indiana. The Eaton products are providing power and motion control for the SAAM systems that are being used by Plastics Research Corporation (PRC) in Ontario, California. The SAAM units produce large, lightweight, shipping and storage containers for military and commercial use.

duaneajaros@eaton.com
markwyates@eaton.com

Challenge Empowering a spirit of innovation, MECA began development of the new molding system technology in 2002 to produce products using low-pressure molding compound (LPMC), which has a longer shelf life and lower molding pressure requirements than conventional sheet molding compound (SMC). The industrial machinery manufacturer envisioned a system that would operate at material process pressures as low as 100 psi and incorporate fabricated steel tooling, instead of at 1,000psi material pressures with expensive solid steel tooling required by conventional SMC environments. Although well-versed in LPMC processing and control systems, MECA engineers were unsure of hydraulic requirements for their brainchild, or rules to abide by in terms of hydraulic system design. For this reason, they called on the assistance

of Eatons Duane Jaros, Application and Commercial Engineering (ACE) Industrial engineer, who became an integral member of the projects design team. MECA teamed with Eatons ACE Industrial group to offer two SAAM system styles, including a dedicated system with designed-in tooling and a more conventional platen system that allows tooling to be interchanged. Knee-deep into the project, the team faced many challenges in the design phase. Solution The system build work began by conducting a detailed analysis of the ow and pressure requirements for the complete mold cycle, calculating component sizing, and verifying the adherence of Eaton products to hydraulic specications. With parameters set, Jaros and other members of the team designed an Eaton power

Eaton Corporation is a diversied power management company with 2009 sales of $11.9 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 70,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.

PALCON container half-shell SAAM system

PALCON container half-shell production

The four-cylinder hydraulic system supplies the precise closing motion and tonnage needed to produce quality, uniform containers.
John Neate, PRC process development scientist

unit specically for the SAAM application. Meanwhile, they worked through multiple hydraulic system designs that used from three to six cylinders to actuate the SAAM units, as well as options for mechanically attaching the cylinders to the press. With exhaustive design support from Eatons U.S. cylinder production facilities, the team nalized on a hydraulic system consisting of four Eaton G-Series largebore cylinders with embedded position transducers to raise and lower the press, as well as Eatons Vickers KBH servospool proportional valves for controlling press alignment. Other Eaton components in the design included pumps, manifolds, lters, accumulators, directional and relief valves, hose, and ttings.

Results Jim Bour, MECA president, is well-pleased with the hydraulics behind the SAAM systems that continue to be backed by Eatons design support as faster and faster models are developed each year. Eatons hydraulic components are a good match with MECA controls, Bour says. They enable us to achieve +/-0.005inch positional closing, which is critical in our molding process. PRC, MECAs rst SAAM system customer, currently has six SAAM systems in operation, all using a single Eaton power unit to produce shipping containers that are supporting U.S. military troops in Iraq. Eatons hardware provides us with 500 tons of force

that is distributed evenly over 6-foot square surface areas to convert LPMC sheets into military containers, says John Neate, PRCs process development scientist. The four-cylinder hydraulic system supplies the precise closing motion and tonnage needed to produce quality, uniform containers. PRCs satisfaction with Eaton product-equipped SAAM systems has led to the establishment of SAAM Technologies, a partnership venture between PRC and MECA that became active in 2007 .

Eaton Hydraulics Group USA 14615 Lone Oak Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA Tel: 952-937-9800 Fax: 952-294-7722 www.eaton.com/hydraulics

Eaton Hydraulics Group Europe Route de la Longeraie 7 1110 Morges Switzerland Tel: +41 (0) 21 811 4600 Fax: +41 (0) 21 811 4601

Eaton Hydraulics Group Asia Pacic Eaton Building 4th Floor, No. 3 Lane 280 Linhong Rd. Changning District Shanghai 200335 China Tel: (+86 21) 5200 0099 Fax: (+86 21) 5200 0400

2010 Eaton Corporation All Rights Reserved Printed in USA Document No. E-CYCM-MS006-E1 Supercedes E-CYCM-MS006-E August 2010