Servo Press Technology Saving

Energy in the pressroom

A. Mark Sutton
General Manager SAT
Komatsu America Industries LLC
 What is a press

Press + die + metal = part

 What is made in a press
• Auto parts
– Bumper, out side skin of a car called “body in
white”, brackets. Changing to more high strength steels.
• In your homes
– Door knobs, Flat screen TV’s, kitchen sink
• Medical industry
– Heart staples
 About the Metal Forming
Industry
• The metal Forming Industry uses 65 million
tons of steel annually
• 9,174,648 Steel consuming jobs in the U.S.
 Markets Served
•Automotive •Defense/Ordinance
•Agriculture/Off-Highway •Electronics
•Appliance •Heavy Truck
•Computer/Business •Industrial/Consumer
Machine Hardware
•Construction •Telecom
 Power Press Population
• In 1996 OSHA reported the press
population at just under 200,000 machines
• The population is changing
– Declining in numbers
– Increasing in size
– Increasing in complexity
– Increasing in flexibility
Metal Stampings
Deep Drawn Metal Stampings
 How we rate the size of a press
• The size of a press is expressed as the force
that it can create.
• A 800 ton press can create 800 ton of force
to form metal or 1,600,000 pounds of force.
• Bed sizes are from
– 12” x 12”
– 300” x 120”
• Tonnages from 5 to 5,000 tons
How a traditional press stores energy
• A high slip motor is used to create energy that is
stored in a rotating mass, the flywheel.
– Synchronous speed AC motor
• This energy is removed from the flywheel to make
parts or do “work”
• The motor need to replace this energy before the
next part is formed
• Through a clutch and brake the energy of the
flywheel is transferred to mechanical linkages that
provide us with liner motion and the ability create
force.
– Unit use are Inch Tons
Clutch and Brake
Clutch and Brake
 Flywheel / Motor
• Due to intermittent stamping process the
press may be not be producing parts as
much as 60% of the time. During the non
production time the motor is just keeping
the flywheel in motion.
• The motor range from 5 hp to 200 hp to 600
hp and they have limitations on how often
they can be stated.
 Flywheel / Motor
• The stamping process requires variable
speed which creates a need for a slower
turning flywheel.
• The energy available in a flywheel varies
directly as the square of the speed.
– Flywheel at 100 rpm has ¼ the energy of a
flywheel at 200 rpm
– For this reason motor may be oversized to work
at slower speeds
Other Items that consume Energy
on a press that we will talk about
• Air clutch consumes compressed air
• Die cushion creates heat
• Transfer systems
• The oil based fluid that is used in the
forming process
• Power Factor
Now let’s look at a Servo Press
What is a mechanical servo press?
In a servo press, the induction motor and flywheel
are replaced by a servo motor and drive system.

The drive configuration is based on the press capacity.

Four drive designs now employed.

All employ a torque multiplier using standard

commercial servo motors to increase available working
energy. Working energy available (Inch-tons) is at least
3 times greater than a standard mechanical press.
Working energy is NOT motor capacity—but energy
available in the die space to do work.
Other benefits from a Servo Press
• Match the ram speed or velocity to the
process.
• Increased accuracy of the ram location to
10µ.
• Reduced noise from 105 dB to 85dB.
• Increased productivity.
• Smaller press size by 50% for large presses
– Smaller plants
Energy Conservation

Single operation

OBS Mechanical press

Power cogeneration
CALC : Power

H1F Servo press

Power supply generative servo press saves 30 to 50 % energy

 Regenerative Control – Servo Press

Traditional flywheel press

The mass in motion

can be up to 100 tons
Regenerative Control – Servo Press

•Like a Hybrid car stop

 One automotive press line
• Lead press 1600 ton
• and
• (3) 800 ton presses
• Calculated savings of 27% or
– Equivalent saving of (8) average family homes
consumptions for one year
 One of our customers is seeing
the following saving
• 40% reduction in power
• 120 tons of CO2 per year reduction
• 30% reduction in plant space
• Reduction in noise from 105dB to 85dB
Other items
 Servo die cushion
• A die cushion is a pressure pad for tooling
that is located in the bed of a press that uses
compressed air.
• The die cushion has almost become extinct
because of high maintenance and low
performance and the development of
nitrogen cylinders into tooling.
Servo die cushion
 　　
Characteristic
Concept ofand subject
Linear
of servo driven transfer feeder 6
Feeder
　　Characteristic
The earth friendly Feeder
　・flexible motion
　　　
Space-saving △ 20%
Subject to change to
　low-noise large sized
△10ｄＢ
Transfer Press feeder and high speed
　Energy-saving △ feeder.
42%
with conventional Servo Feeder
　・Saving
　Easy space △110min/month
maintenance
　・Saving energy
　Productivity Up △ 10%
Feed Box-less
　・Low noise (Compare with conventional feeder)

Transfer Press
with Linear Feeder
 No Clutch or brake
• No compressed air is consumed starting or
stopping the press.
• The servo motor stop the press and hold the
ram.
– Brake used with no power to the press.
• No maintenance or brake dust.
 Stamping Lubricants
• Heat that is created during the forming
process is reduced with a slower ram
without loss of production speeds.
– One of the main functions of stamping
lubricants is to remove heat.
– Less heatÆ less lubricant.
– Most stamping lubricants are oil based.
 Power Factor
• Lightly loaded induction motor are a large
reason for power factor problems.
• Power factor penalty in your electric bill if
you are a primary customer. Up to 20%.
• If you are not a primary customer you still
need to look at power factor correction.
 Contact information
• A. Mark Sutton
– (248) 714-9278 office
– (248) 622-9790 cell
– Msutton@kaic.com email