Toward a Paperless Pressroom

State-of-the-art press controls clearly do much more than just control the stamping process, as illustrated by the previous descriptions of new technology offerings. And the latest development from Honeywell Intl.’s Wintriss Controls Group, Acton, MA, further illustrates the point. Its Info Center option for the SmartPAC 2 control allows press shops to maintain a paperless library of setup sheets, part and tool drawings, photographs and other valuable information right at the press and convenient for the operator to view on the control’s 10-in. color screen. It grabs information stored remotely via an existing Ethernet network, eliminating the need to enter or store information at each press control.

Metal stamper and tooling house Cole Mfg. Corp.,West Bend, WI, recently added the Info Center package to its lineup of SmartPAC 2 press-automation controllers, in order to “have work instructions available right at the machines,” explains Jon Sievert, Cole’s director of operations. “We also needed to get part prints to the operators instantly, rather than having them walk up to the production office to get the latest revisions, or to replace a print that had become too oily to read."

“We’ve also incorporated video,” adds Sievert. “We shoot a benchmark video showing a die running in its ideal configuration, and when an inexperienced operator or one that has not run that die wants to learn more about how it runs, he can take a look at the video. He can look at setup chores such as proper clamp location, sensor location, chute selection and location, scrap removal and even press speeds. The videos have been invaluable, allowing us to be much more consistent from setup to setup. Part quality has improved as a result.”

Lastly, Cole uses the Info Center to store photographs of each part it stamps so that operators can compare first-off parts to the photos and make sure that the die has been properly configured. “This has resulted in significant scrap reduction,” says Sievert.