Erowa workholding system offers quick changeover of PM tooling
February 26, 2014
Powder Metallurgy (PM) parts are becoming increasingly sophisticated and the variety of product shapes is on the rise, states Swiss tooling system manufacturer Erowa AG. The frequent changeover of tooling used in powder presses can greatly reduce valuable production time.
A workholding system is the interface between the punch, die and press adapter. With the use of the Erowa PM Tooling rapid-change workholding system the changeover times for pressing tools are kept to a minimum, claims the company.
Fig. 1 Erowa PM Tooling: Press adapter with PM Tooling punch
chuck (1) and die-plate chuck (2)
In Erowa’s system a single or multi-level powder press is equipped with the appropriate PM Tooling chucks. There are die chucks and punch chucks (Fig. 1). The chucks are integrated directly into the powder press or press adapter.
The chucks are precisely aligned to each other with the help of a specially designed alignment set with no need for further adjustments. Punches and dies can be quickly exchanged and clamped with high precision. A 0.002 mm positioning accuracy guarantees an easy start after changeover, states Erowa.
New punches and dies to be manufactured are mounted on Erowa PM pallets and produced on the PM Tooling system. The PM Tooling system forms the basis on all machines and ensures consistency throughout the production process. From milling and grinding to EDM sinking and EDM wire-cutting to pressing, the 0.002 mm positioning accuracy is reliably observed. The precisely manufactured punches and dies are then clamped in the press adapter without further alignment.
Compatibility with other EROWA workholding systems allows for the complete automation of production machines. The reference positions are given by the precisely aligned PM Tooling chucks.
The benefits claimed by Erowa include a reduction in downtime, a significant increase in the precision of the whole production process and increased reliability. PM Tooling chucks are completely sealed against dirt and guarantee highly precise clamping of punches and dies.
