Shear blade change in less than one minute

Posted On: 12. März 2024
Posted By: pr-gateway

Assembly of two slide-in units increases material efficiency when tempering strip steel

At the production site of Risse + Wilke Kaltband GmbH & Co. KG in Iserlohn/Germany, hpl-Neugnadenfelder has put into operation a new inline quick-change shear for cross-cutting the strip at the exit area of a continuously running quenching and tempering line. Consisting of two-slide-in units, the new changing assembly specially developed for the project, requires less than one minute to change the shear blades.

At the strip processing line in the Iserlohn production plant, the strip is cut to length directly after having left the quenching and tempering furnace. The investment in a new cut-to-length shear was aimed at changing the shear blades so quickly that the strip does not need to be stopped in the furnace. The basic idea of Roland Pudelko, Production Manager Heat Treatment at Risse + Wilke, was to change the shear blades within the specified time frame of a maximum of 7 minutes by means of a new assembly consisting of two slide-in units. At the same time, the cutting gap had to be infinitely adjustable from 0 to 1 mm in a precise and easy manner.

Based on these specifications, hpl has designed a quick-change assembly consisting of two slide-in units that can be moved on a swiveling table. During line operation, one of the two slide-in units is in use, while the second is on the swiveling table, which is situated parallel to the strip forward movement. When changing the shear blade, the table is swiveled at 90° to the strip forward movement. This allows the first slide-in unit to be removed from the shear housing and the second slide-in unit, precisely preset with new shear blades, to be pushed into it. This process only takes a few seconds, and after less than one minute the line returns to normal production operation.

The actual shear blade change at one of the two slide-in units takes place on the table, which is swiveled back into its parking position. Günter Veldmann, project manager at hpl, sees great benefits for his customer: „The interacting slide-in units were also a real novelty for us. With the new quick-change assembly consisting of two slide-in units, the operators have plenty of time to change the shear blades and adjust them precisely. Furthermore, we create safety, because nobody needs to work directly in the shear housing under time pressure.“

The new cut-to-length shear cuts steel strips with a thickness of up to 6.20 mm and a width of up to 725 mm. The cutting gap can be infinitely adjusted between 0 and 1 mm with a precision of 1/100 mm using two eccentrics. Thanks to the small overall width, the new cut-to-length shear can be easily integrated into existing strip processing lines.

Roland Pudelko draws a first positive balance: „Originally, we had been aiming for a duration of less than five minutes for changing the shear blades. hpl has reached a value that was far beyond our expectations: After just one minute, the strip continues moving forward. For us, this means that we produce more marketable high-quality strip.“

About hpl-Neugnadenfelder Maschinenfabrik

hpl-Neugnadenfelder Maschinenfabrik GmbH is a German engineering company focused on the development and manufacturing of logistics, machining and processing systems for strips made of steel, stainless steel, coated metals and special metals.

The product range consists of strip processing lines, rolling mills, strip edge trimming lines, cut-to-length and longitudinal slitting lines, and special machine /custom machine manufacturing.

Due to decades of experience and a deep understanding of the strip value chain, hpl-Neugnadenfelder Maschinenfabrik is able to solve any customer challenge. The focus is on developing universably applicable components that are individually adapted to the customer’s technical specifications and spatial conditions on site.

50 employees design and manufacture the lines at the company headquarter in the northwest of Germany.

The company founded in 1979 is part of the Neuenhauser Group of companies, a family-owned company with more than 2,500 employees, based in Neuenhaus/Germany.

Company-Contact
hpl-Neugnadenfelder Maschinenfabrik GmbH
Martin Aufdemkamp
Spangenbergstr. 20
49824 Ringe/Neugnadenfeld / Germany
Phone: +49.5944.93 01-0
E-Mail:
Url: http://www.hpl-group.de