Roemheld claims that its M-TECS magnetic clamping plates can reduce set-up and changoever times to as little as two to three seconds and dies of all sizes can reportedly be installed with a single clamp.
The clamping system has no moving parts and Roemheld also claims that it “is basically maintenance-free”. The full metal clamping surface of the elements enables users to avoid standardisation of die sizes and clamping edge heights. The components are suitable for vertical and horizontal use in machines and can be retrofitted onto most presses and punches.
The plate thickness ranges from 47mm to 85mm (with an integral heating system) and the sizes and geometry of shapes can designed to meet a customer’s specific requirements.
The technology is based on the principle of a permanent electric magnet for safety in the event of a power outage. Power is required for one to two seconds to magnetise the system at the start. During operation, the system is independent of the power supply and power is only required again to unclamp the die.
Full-surface magnetic forces of between two and 12 kg/cm² and clamping forces of between 500 and 2,000 kN act on the plates. The square pole magnets of the Roemheld plates mean that even small dies can be clamped without auxilliary devices. In addition, the full-surface clamping force enables the top and bottom die halves to close reliably during the production process with no deformation, true to position and in parallel, says Roemheld. This helps to reduce both wear and maintenance costs.
An additional control system permanently monitors the magnetic power, die position and temperature throughout the working process and the machine is brought to a standstill in the event of the movement of one of the die halves.
Bill Neal, Joint Managing Director of Roemheld (UK) Limited, said: “In general terms, magnetic clamping systems are the best solution whenever frequent die changes are required, downtimes need to be reduced or it would be impossible or too expensive to standardise clamping edge heights and die sizes. This technology is also suitable for large die sizes and heavy weights, which require significant levels of power and a great deal of time to be clamped, for instance on large presses and punches in sheet metal forming. In these applications, magnetic clamping technology helps to cut unproductive set-up times.”
