Turret Head™ Slitter set-ups are accomplished while the line is running, eliminating setup downtime. The Turret Head™ is simply withdrawn from the line when producing full width sheets.
Precision Electronic Servo-Feed: Macsteel's Multi-Blanking Line employs a reliable high-cyclic rate precision AC servo to feed and meter strip to precise tolerances. The Servo-Feed draws the leveled strip from a free-loop and feeds the strip through the Shear to a pre-set length. Part length is precisely metered by an electronic encoder while a microprocessor automatically establishes ideal acceleration/deceleration rates. Length and batch count are easily entered into the digital operating system. Servo Feeds compare favorably to "reciprocating mechanical hitch feeds" in productivity and reliability. Grabbing, releasing, sliding backwards, and re-grabbing consumes the majority of a reciprocating hitch feed's cycle time. By comparison Servo-Feeds drive one-way and have few moving parts that fail or require repair and replacement. The Servo-Feed's quick rotary operation, low acceleration/deceleration shock load, few moving parts with an absence of chains, screws, clamps, and related mechanical parts results in consistent close-tolerance accuracy, low operating cost, and "bullet-proof" reliability.
In addition to the Servo-Feed's quick cycle rate, it employs an instantaneous "pull-back" sequence that pulls the strip away from the shear blade during the shear cycle. The pull-back sequence is an important feature for preventing shear blade scuffing.
Hi-Performance Variable Speed Shear: A massive top driven variable speed DC motor driven Shear is employed for part cut-off. The high-performance Shear is capable of producing pattern length sheets in a 60-stroke/minute "clutch-brake" mode, and shorter multi-blank parts in an 80+ stroke/minute non-stop "continuous-stroke" mode. Synchronized with the Servo-Feed, the continuous non-stop shear cycle offers unrivaled productivity performance. When the Shear runs in the continuous-stroke mode, the DC motor driven crankshaft runs non-stop, synchronized with the Servo-Feed. The pull-back and feed sequence begins as soon as the upper shear blade severs the strip on its down stroke. The instant sequence allows the strip to be fed forward while the Shear ram is traveling up. The feed sequence continues well past Shear top dead center and stops when the shear blade approaches the strip on the down stroke. The simultaneous Servo Feed-DC Shear cycle expands the feed forward time window and results in a production rate much higher than a conventional start-stop feed-shear mode.
