St. Louis, MO – Beckwood Press Company, a leading manufacturer of custom hydraulic and linear-servo presses, automation systems, and sheet hydroforming equipment has been awarded a contract by Hendrickson USA, L.L.C. to engineer and build a 1500-ton hydraulic stamping press. With this new piece of equipment, they will have the ability to blank, deep draw, and form parts for the transportation industry all on a single machine.
Hendrickson needed a press to increase capacity, improve programmability, and offer more flexibility with increased tonnage. Their new custom-engineered press will feature an 8-point square gib guidance system for maximum parallelism and a 50” x 160” working area to accommodate a multitude of applications including high-tonnage blanking, deep drawing, and forming.
Because high-tonnage blanking causes large amounts of breakthrough shock, press-mounted hydraulic dampers will be included which increase damping capacity from 70% to 90%. A robust 12” damper height adjustment will allow for flexible die working heights. Along with the dampers, vibration pads will be added to the feet of the press, and the hydraulic power unit will be isolated from the press structure to reduce shock transfer to sensitive components.
The press will also be equipped with a hydraulic bed cushion featuring dynamic cushion control, which allows all five cylinders to be controlled independently at 30-tons each. This level of programmability reduces wrinkling and tearing during intricate draw work. A high-speed Delta motion controller adds to the flexibility, offering increased force and positional accuracy while reducing the minimum tonnage capacity.
To ensure operator safety during die changeover, a SITEMA ram safety catcher system and rod lock will be included for redundant visual and load holding of the ram while the press is idle. Light curtains will also be included at the front of the press and hard guarding covering rear and sides.
“We, at Hendrickson, are excited about the new opportunities and enhanced manufacturing capabilities this investment offers our business. The deep draw, high tonnage capability of the Beckwood press will align our strategic manufacturing vision with our customer requirements. Working with Beckwood, we were able to customize a press to fit our customer’s specific product requirements, while maintaining a common platform to accept our current dies and space constraints,” says Chris Batsch General Manager for Hendrickson Bumper.
“The Hendrickson team allowed us to explore a number of options for speeds of the press, tonnage requirements for specific parts, and other press specifications,” notes Beckwood sales engineer, Gerard Choinka. “Together, we’ve been able to create an optimized solution that is going to meet their exact needs.”
About Hendrickson
Hendrickson is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of medium and heavy-duty mechanical, elastomeric, and air suspensions, integrated and non-integrated axle and brake systems, tire pressure control systems, auxiliary lift axle systems, parabolic and multi-leaf springs, stabilizers, bumpers, and components to the global commercial transportation industry. Learn more at hendrickson-intl.com.