Reviving a Press Brake Workhorse
Written by Rob Colman, 12/10/21, Canadian Fabricating & Welding
When Etobicoke, Ont.-based high-voltage switchgear and protection manufacturer S&C Electric Canada wanted to upgrade its press brake department, it was considering replacing two machines. After review, the team determined that it could actually refurbish one of them, saving money while improving the efficiency, productivity, and safety of its equipment.
When S&C considered replacing its 500-ton hydraulic press brake, it realized that the hydraulics and frame were in good enough condition to keep. The company instead had the controller, heavy-duty backgauge, and light curtain replaced. Images: S&C Electric Canada.
Versatile Shop Capabilities
S&C is an international company that specializes in the switching, protection, and control of electric power systems. The company’s Etobicoke facility employs close to 500 people and occupies 250,000 sq. ft.
The fabrication shop is equipped with laser cutting machines, shears, punch presses, and four press brakes. The welding department is equipped for GMAW and GTAW; there also are two robotic welding cells in the shop, one for welding small components and the other for welding continuous seams on larger electrical cabinets. The company also has a machining department and a powder coat line, so many internal components and all assembly work can be managed in-house.
In terms of materials, the fabricating shop works mostly in mild steel in thicknesses between 16 ga. and ½ in. “Eleven gauge is our bread and butter for enclosures,” said Nick Di Adamo, assistant manager – tooling design and programming for S&C Canada. “We also make parts in stainless steel, anywhere from 16 ga. to ¼ in.”
Aging Brakes
S&C doesn’t work exclusively with one machine tool supplier, but it certainly has had a long relationship with Cincinnati Inc. In 2019 it had a shear, a 400-ton mechanical press brake, and a 500-ton hydraulic brake built by the company.
“By 2019 our 400-ton [mechanical] machine was about 56 years old,” said Di Adamo. “We had many issues with downtime and spare parts availability. We decided to replace it with a brand new 350-ton hydraulic press from Cincinnati with a 10-ft. bed.”
Once this new machine was in and the team saw the value of using a brand new controller, they started considering replacing the 40-year-old, 500-ton machine.
“After having our maintenance crew and the team from Cincinnati look over the machine, we found that the mechanical components—the hydraulics, the frame, etc.—were still in good condition,” said Di Adamo. “However, the controller was also 40 years old. We had to think, ‘If something happens to the controller, how difficult will it be to find replacement parts?’”
The company had also installed a light curtain on the machine about 20 years ago for additional safety. It was coming to the end of its life cycle, and newer light curtain systems weren’t compatible with the old controller on the machine.
“Safety is our number one priority at S&C, so we knew we had to update the light curtain system,” said Di Adamo. “Cincinnati suggested that we upgrade the controller and the light curtain system, so we did that. Our old heavy-duty backgauge was also not compatible with the new controller, so we replaced that at the same time.”
The company also invested in a new hydraulic clamping system from Wilson Tool for its tooling.
The company also invested in a new hydraulic clamping system from Wilson Tool for its tooling. The total investment was about a third of the cost of buying a new machine.
Common Platform Advantages
What Di Adamo likes best about the upgrade to the 500-ton machine is that it is now compatible with the 350-ton brake.
“The two have the same interface, so training becomes a lot easier,” he said. “Now, if you have someone running the 350 and need them on the 500-ton machine, it’s not a problem. The interface is like working on a tablet. With a 2-in. bend on a part, an operator can program it in a couple seconds compared to the old controller, which would have taken a lot longer. And now we can program parts online or offline; if we get a more complex part, we can always help out upstairs in the programming group with it.
“The controller holds a tooling library as well, so you can look at your tooling on screen and make sure you’ve got the correct setup for doing your part.”
The 500-ton machine also had lift-assist devices that had been built in-house a number of years ago. These were replaced with a Cincinnati sheet following system.
“These took a little longer to install on the 500-ton machine because it’s as old as it is, but it’s working great now,” said Di Adamo. “We initially didn’t purchase a sheet following system for the 350-ton machine because we were mostly running smaller parts that could be handled by one person. However, now we’re looking to invest in them for that machine so that production of larger parts can be shifted to it if necessary. Unlike with the 500-ton brake, installing the device will be quite quick because it was designed for this newer model.”
S&C has benefited from faster programming time on the refurbished machine. Tool changes, of course, have also gotten a lot quicker.
“With a manual setup, it takes a long time to screw, tighten, and unscrew the tooling,” said Di Adamo. “There are also ergonomic concerns with the repetitive strain involved in doing so, and the time spent. None of that is adding value. The clamping system has been a definite benefit.”
