BEST PERFORMANCE IN GREEN BRASS FORGING: DISCOVER THE INNOVATIVE MECOLPRESS SOLUTION
In recent years, all production sectors have been looking for sustainable and innovative solutions, seeking alternatives with low environmental impact, based on recycling, where possible, with particular attention to the health of all of us.
The international environmental policies are trying to reduce, as much as possible, the presence of potentially toxic materials in products that are on sale and in use.
The aim is to enable a circular economy that allows the recycling of components that have reached the end of their life, preventing them from representing a threat to the environment and health. The regulations launched in the United States and Europe (RoHS, ELV, CSPIA, DWD, ..) have been adopted by most of the world’s states or at least indicated as guidelines to follow.
A relevant part of the forged brass pieces is in contact with water, even drinking water, the presence of lead increases the risk of contamination, the use of lead-free brass alloys therefore limits the health risks.
In the production of brass, the material under investigation is precisely Lead, which has always been used as an alloy element to:
- improve workability on tool machines;
- improve the quality of cast products (low porosity);
- decrease contact friction.
The percentage of lead used in brass alloys goes from 1.5 to 3.5% and is incompatible with the target of limiting its presence to 0.1% for each homogeneous material.
Using lead-free brass alloys
The companies that are involved in hot forging of brass are therefore faced with the challenging choice of using lead-free alloys, but there is no shortage of doubts:
- What consequences could, this change in chemical composition, have on the production process?
- Can the current forging capabilities still be considered valid?
- What updating\improving should be planned in the forging department?
Over the past few years, we have worked to find the answers, and based on our experience we can therefore provide some practical adviceto successfully produce lead-free brass forged parts!
Sustainable forging, how to do it?
· Bar cutting
Cutting bars using rotating disc blades is recommended to ensure correct weight accuracy.
Tool steel/high speed steel (HSS) discs are no longer sufficient to guarantee an acceptable service life. It is necessary to switch to discs with tungsten carbide base material inserts (TCT).
Below we propose a balance of the pros/cons for each of your technologies, usually when the production of lead-free brass is around 70-80% total, TCT blades are economically advantageous.
| HSS BLADE | TCT BLADE |
| Low unit cost | High unit cost |
| Extremely short service life | High service life |
| Re-sharpenable | Not re-sharpenable |
| Reduced blade thickness | Reduced blade thickness |
Oil lubrication of the blade is necessary to reduce frictional heat.
The cutting precision must be extreme to avoid problems during the forging process, especially if it is without burr\flash. The cutting machine and the blade guidance system must have an extremely rigid body. The maximum error allowed is 0.1mm.
It is also suggested an optimization of the cutting process to minimize/eliminate material waste, given the ever-increasing costs.
Modern cutting technologies allow:
- 5mm head cuts;
- cutting of the same bar with different lengths to eliminate tail waste;
- differentiated unloading for the different cuts: head, length A and length B.
· Characteristics of lead-free brass
Lead-free brass has physical and mechanical characteristics that are very different from traditional brass.
| Standard Brass with Lead | Lead Free Brass | |
| Specific Gravity [g/cm3] | 8,5 | 8,3 |
| Thermal Conductivity [W/m] | 114 | 35 |
| Electrical Conductivity [%IACS] | 26 | 8 |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion [X10-6/℃] | 21 | 20 |
| Liquidus Temperature [℃ ] | 900 | 890 |
| Solidus Temperature [℃] | 885 | 855 |
| Tensile Strength [Mpa] | 435 | 650 |
| 0.2%Yield Strength [Mpa] | 295 | 450 |
| Elongation [%] | 25 | 20 |
| Hardness [HV] | 140 | 200 |
Lead-free brasses are tougher, more resistant and more refractory to heat transmission.
This trend is also confirmed when the heating temperature increases.
At the same heating temperature:
- Lead-free brass has a higher resistance to deformation value;
- Lead-free brass has a higher sensitivity to change in resistance to deformation in case of temperature variation.
Maintaining a heating temperature with the lowest possible variance (+- 5°C) is the key to have a reliable hot forging process.
The mechanical presses of a few decades ago were not designed with safety criteria that are suitable for these materials: simply because these materials did not exist at the time!
· Mechanical presses suitable for stamping lead-free brass
It is therefore essential to choose a press suitable for forging the new types of lead-free brass alloys.
Mecolpress SEO\HEAVY mechanical presses guarantee:
- Greater rigidity and safety margin of the structures (+50%) with capacity up to 700t.
- Greater safety margin of the transmission systems (up to +50% with epicyclic system).
- Hydraulic reaction cushions with increased capacity (+20%).
- Hydraulic cushions with SOFT IMPACT or OVERBOOST system to mitigate the impact force or increase the closing forces (+100%), with capacity up to 120ton.
- Air\oil lubrication system up to 30 points to lubricate and cool the critical points of the die (integrated\external).
- Water cooling of the most critical components.
- Hydraulic unlocking in the slide in case of overload to preserve the mechanical components.
- CALIPSO control system that memorizes the fundamental parameters for each die cycle to have full control of the process.
The ME hydraulic presses by Mecolpress guarantee:
- Net die closing force up to 350 tons.
- Thrust force of the lateral and vertical punches up to 240 tons.
- Maximization of flash-free die.
- Punch kinematics system that maximizes force in the final phases of the stroke.
- Air/oil lubrication system up to 30 points to lubricate and cool the critical points of the die (integrated/external).
- Water cooling of the most critical components.
- CALIPSO control system that memorizes the fundamental parameters for each die cycle to have full control of the process.
Don’t be caught unprepared, current regulations have started to reduce the use of lead and future ones will be even more restrictive, Mecolpress’s hot brass forging technology is ready to go!
MIA: Mecolpress Artificial Intelligence
AUTOMATING THE OPERATION ASSISTANCE WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT
We are pleased to communicate an important innovation in the hot forging sector: we have managed to successfully implement a solution based on Artificial Intelligence which adds considerable value to our assistance service!
Why have we decided to integrate the Artificial Intelligence in our Assistance service?
The implementation of a technology based on the artificial intelligence can significantly improve our assistance service:
- Reduction of technical support times
- Assistance automating for presses troubleshooting
- To provide access to manuals and guides 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- To grant a prompt problem managing on the production lines.
- To directly obtain a multilingual support to meet the needs of customers all over the world.
- Autonomous and prompt problems managing directly on customer production lines.
- To have an immediate response to press alarms and signals.
What exactly does MIA – Mecolpress Artificial Intelligence consist of?
MIA is a technology based on generative AI and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to offer Mecolpress an advanced virtual assistant that supports technicians in the maintenance and troubleshooting of presses, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The 3 MIA great adavantages
- Maintenance automation and Troubleshooting
The system developed by Userbot.AI has been trained on the manuals of Mecolpress machines and on the history of over 450 types of alarms, allowing operators not only to obtain immediate answers to technical questions directly from the production lines, but also to have instant support and with step-by-step guides for resolving critical alarms. Operators can consult information via tablet or smartphone, significantly reducing the time needed to resolve technical problems.
- Multilingual support
To facilitate access to information by international customers and operators, the virtual assistant has been implemented with multilingual functionality in Italian, English and Spanish, but also allowing translation into 100 other languages in real time thanks to Generative AI, thus ensuring fluid and understandable communication for all users.
- Customer Experience Improvement
The virtual assistant improves the customer experience, reducing waiting times and providing immediate and accurate responses 24 hours a day. This translates into reduced operational disruptions and a higher level of customer satisfaction. Furthermore, thanks to this new system, the digitalisation of information is achieved concretely, not just in words. Thanks to this project, the user has immediate access to all the information contained in the use and maintenance manual, which given the complexity of the machines, is over 1,000 pages.
Which are MIA goals?
Thanks to virtual assistance based on AI, we set ourselves the goal of obtaining significant results in terms of operational efficiency.
It is estimated that, once fully operational, the system can lead to:
- a 60% reduction in support/assistance times, allowing operators to obtain immediate answers to the most common questions without having to wait for technical support to intervene.
- to reduce the number of human support tickets by up to 40%. This result will be possible thanks to the automation of troubleshooting and quick consultation of manuals directly via the virtual assistant. In this way, requests that currently overload technical support can be managed independently by operators in real time.
- to create a smoother and more responsive customer experience, with a significant improvement in the quality of service offered by Mecolpress.
MIA future evolutions
In the future, Mecolpress plans to expand the use of the virtual assistant to other product lines, also extending support to new markets.
Furthermore, Mecolpress is considering using the bot to support its partners and resellers around the world, offering them easier access to technical information and product training.
Below is the article published on the Smeup website regarding our experience of implementing Artificial Intelligence in our assistance service:
Mecolpress: automating the operation assistance with AI
Here below you can find two quotes contained in the above-mentioned article:
“I am enthusiastic about the journey we are taking with Userbot.AI. I have always believed in innovation, and, thanks to this solution, we are able to provide immediate and continuous support to our operators around the world. I have involved a highly qualified team to work on the integration of our machine manuals and, so far, the results have gone far beyond initial expectations. I am sure that this technology will allow us to significantly improve our operational efficiency and technical support to customers. “
— Carlo Contri, Mecolpress Technical Manager
“The partnership with Mecolpress demonstrates how generative AI and advanced Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technologies can revolutionize technical assistance in the industrial sector. This project represents a concrete example of how artificial intelligence and large language models can enhance operational efficiency and radically transform the way companies approach maintenance and technical support even in highly innovative and technically complex environments such as that of Mecolpress.”
– Antonio Giarrusso, Userbot Executive President
Hot forging in the fashion sector
Hot forging presses are also used in the fashion industry manufacturing.
The worldwide fashion sector is characterized by extremely significant business volumes: around 3 thousand billion euros and it employs 50 million people.
Italy is one of main districts for the fashion industry with historic brands and production chains deeply rooted in the territory.
The sector is affected by global uncertainties linked to inflation, geopolitical tensions, post-Covid recovery but double-digit growth is estimated in the coming years. The increase in business volume is possible thanks to a high dynamism full of creativity and style which canalizes an important flow of news and innovations every season.
The digitalization of sales channels and operational departments and the near-shoring approach have created the need to make the manufacturing process increasingly productive and efficient.
Metals hot forging is a key operation to characterize fashion products and accessories. The logos of the major brands applied on bags, shoes, clothes and belts are made through hot forging and then finished with other downstream processes.
Mecolpress has been the protagonist of this continuous growth process, offering technologically advanced forging solutions with the aim of:
- Increasing production capacity up to 1500 pieces per hour;
- Reducing machine downtimes due to maintenance and tool changes (availability >95%);
- Reducing the consumption of materials, energy and CO2 emissions by 50% (GREEN TECHNOLOGY Industry 5.0);
- Allowing the digital communication between production line and company system and remote diagnostic access (Industry 4.0);
- Flexibility in forging products of different sizes and materials (steel/brass/aluminium);
- Increasing the safety of the production line by reducing human intervention (industry 5.0).
TDS Electrical Torque-Driven Screw presses
TDS Electrical Torque-Driven Screw presses result to be particularly suitable for the hot forging of parts destined to fashion sector.
Here below the 4 strong points that make many customers to prefer these hot forging screw presses:
- Cycle time does not dependent on forging energy => always optimized productivity
- Reduction of friction parts => less maintenance and less energy consumption
- Flexibility in energy settings => production flexibility for product size and type of material (brass, steel, aluminium) and reduction in dies wear
- Energy recovery of braking energy => reduction in energy consumption
Click on the image to enlarge
Complete forging lines integration
Even in the fashion sector, the frequent request is to have complete forging lines.
We can supply the line following the customer need, so in addition to the hot forging press, we integrate the cutting, heating, forging and deburring of the forged pieces.
Click on the image to enlarge
The presses for forging of parts destined to fashion sector have to optimize the process phases:
Automation of machine loading and unloading
We underlined the importance of automating the loading and unloading phases of pieces. The presses must include certain solutions to guarantee maximum performance:
- High-speed Cartesian systems for heated material loading.
- Flexible anthropomorphic robots for heated material loading.
- Unloading of the forged product via air blow to avoid sliding and contact defects.
- Folding of the material to be forged to have a shape as close as possible to the forged parts and to reduce material consumption.
- Possibility of different shapes of the starting material from the traditional round billet to customized shapes (letters, symbols, …).
Click on the image to enlarge
Productive process data control system
An important solution to take into consideration to start a successful hot forging project for parts in the fashion sector is certainly to equip yourself with a control system of the productive process.
Mecolpress Calipso Software allows to monitor and to adjust the data connected to forging process, and it presents numerous advantages, among which:
- Based on HMI architecture complete with touch screen display
- Functioning parameters of the press and of the auxiliaries that can be inserted from the display.
- For each forging cycle, the main parameters are saved for collection and analysis.
- Integrable with company MES/MRP systems.
- Remote access for diagnostics and problems solving
Click on the image to enlarge
Dies lubrication
The proper dies lubrication makes the difference for a successful hot forging process.
A correct lubrication does not mean a lot of lubrication, but it must be properly dosed, the most suitable lubricants must be chosen based on the metal to be forged and the required piece.
We propose:
- Automatic air-oil lubrication unit managed by the control panel.
- Up to 30 lubrication points.
- Automated lubrication arm synchronized with the forging cycle.
Click on the image to enlarge
Dies changing system
To allow a quick unlocking, the die holder has been optimized, and the auxiliary arm becomes essential for bringing the dies out of the working area of the press.
Click on the image to enlarge
Dies pre-heating
This is an important phase of the hot forging productive process that foresees the use of modern induction technologies avoiding open flames or CO2 emissions.
In the fashion sector, therefore, hot forging presses and related devices are widely used.
It is always important to develop an accurate and successful forging project to maximize profits and reduce waste.
Exhibitions 2024: Mecolpress at AHR (U.S.A.)
AHR 2024
AHR EXPO – CHICAGO
The largest event in the HVACR industry returns to Chicago.
Three days dedicated to the latest energy saving solutions and sustainable technology in the field of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
It will be held from 22 to 24 January 2024, in Chicago at McCormick Place .
We look forward to seeing you at our Booth: South Building – Stand S10262
Mecolpress presents the latest innovations in the field of brass hot forging:
- SEO and Heavy mechanical eccentric presses from 320 to 600 tons, high productivity up to 40 strokes per minute.
- ME series hydraulic presses: flash-free forging with significantly reduced energy consumptions.
- Direct drive screw presses: suitable to produce parts having complex geometry!
Augmented Reality, the press just a click away
On our booth it will be possible to view two presses in Augmented Reality: ME and Heavy series.
This technology allows to overlap multimedia information on the reality framed by the camera of your mobile device, smartphone and/or tablet, enriching the vision of the surrounding space with additional digital contributions.
Get your free admission ticket
To facilitate the visit and access in safety, it is appropriate to register to get the free admission ticket.
You can request it by simply filling out this form:
Reduced energy consumptions with the new hydraulic ME presses
The new Mecolpress ME hydraulic presses grant reduced energy consumptions.
How did we get to achieve this goal?
Mecolpress has been working with its customers for more than 50 years providing the best forging technologies that allow to maximize the quality of the products and the related productivity.
The forging process improvement needs do not always seem to proceed in the same direction:
- the energy consumption reduction requires the reduction of the installed power;
- the high productivity and the raw material reduction require increasing installed powers.
Our customers and partners are dealing with this conflict and are wondering how to come out as winners.
“Which is the most abundant existing source of energy? the least polluting, least expensive, most immediately available one: that is, energy saving …”
Piero Angela
What does Mecolpress propose to grant in the same page reduced energy consumptions and high productivity?
Mecolpress is not afraid of challenges, indeed it knows that these represent an opportunity to grow and improve.
Thanks to the continuous and accurate control system, Mecolpress presses determine and memorize the process parameters at every fraction of a second, i.e. the minimum force and speed requirements to obtain a certain product with the best characteristics. Under these values it is not possible to obtain an acceptable product.
Our long experience has allowed us to evaluate numerous forging cases, from small connectors of ½” up to large valves/water meters of more than 2”, in standard and lead-free brass grades.
To reduce power when it is not needed and to maximize it when it is needed! This is the secret.
The forging process control system
The press control system learns (ADAPTIVE CYCLE) the trend of the forging cycle and regulates the pressure and the flow of the oil (REGENERATIVE CYCLE) in order to get as close as possible to the minimum forging force. A reasonable safety margin is maintained in order to compensate for eventual external parameters variation (billet temperature, material quality, dimensional tolerances, …).
During the forging cycle Mecolpress press will have three phases: power reduction, transition, maximum power.
We monitored the flash-free forging process of the body of a 1 1/4″ ball valve with a productivity of 12 pieces per minute, therefore 720 pieces per hour.
Thanks to the ADAPTIVE-REGENERATIVE cycle the energy consumption is reduced by 50%, reaching an average consumption of 45kWh.
But let’s not forget the other advantages acquired:
- production capacity more than doubled compared to the traditional cycle,
- high repeatability of the piece quality (cp>2),
- constant compliance (cpk>1.33) with very tight dimensional tolerances (± 0.1),
- minimized material consumption thanks to over 6% flash-free forging,
- improved workability thanks to a more uniform internal conformation,
- increased product quality thanks to the elimination of internal defects.
EMO 2023
EMO 2023
EMO is the world machine tools trade fair which is hosted by Italy and Germany and which this year will be held in Hannover from 18 to 23 September 2023.
Undisputed leader in the panorama of sector trade shows, EMO best represents the articulated world of metalworking, showing the best of vision and innovation.
Tooling machines, robots, enabling technologies and automations, solutions for the networked and digital factory, additive manufacturing and green innovations will be among the key players of EMO 2023.
Mecolpress as global leader in hot forging technology cannot miss this important event.
It will be a very important opportunity to meet our Customers and the new potential ones.
Mecolpress sales team and technical staff will be glad to welcome you in person to evaluate your requests and offer you our competitive solutions.
Mecolpress presents the latest innovations related to forging technologies:
- SEO and HEAVY eccentric mechanical presses from 320 to 600 tons, high productivity up to 40 strokes per minute.
- Hydraulic presses of ME series: flash-free forging with outstanding reduced energy consumptions.
- Direct drive screw presses: to produce parts of complex geometry.
Mecolpress innovations
The fair will be a useful opportunity to get to know the latest proposals regarding:
- reduction of raw materials consumption;
- reduction of electricity consumption;
- high production capacity and flexibility in product changes;
- continuous quality control of the forging process;
- operative continuity thanks to after-sales service.
Augmented Reality, the press just a click away
On our stand you will be able to view 2 presses in Augmented Reality: ME and the Heavy presses.
This technology allows you to overlap multimedia information on the reality framed by the camera of your mobile device, smartphone and/or tablet, enriching the view of the surrounding environment with additional contributions in digital format.
We are waiting for you: Hall 13 Booth D060
Get your free admission ticket
To facilitate the visit and access safely, it is advisable to register to obtain the free admission ticket.
You can request it by simply filling out this form:
ME 350 NEXT GENERATION PRESS
ME 350 Next Generation Press: still the most powerful press, now it also minimizes the energy consumption.
ME350 press is the powerful of Mecolpress hydraulic presses: the latest version we have developed is able to grant a significant reduction in energy consumption.
Our goal is to make our customers more competitive in a very challenging market. The increase in the costs of raw materials and energy is not yet stabilized and a substantial reduction is not yet in sight. Our customers have to manage and deal with variables such as:
- product differentiation,
- the need to adapt to high volume production batches,
- managing frequent product changes,
- the difficulty of finding a stable workforce,
- the need to produce just in time,
- the increasingly high quality required of the forged product.
Mecolpress technological innovation starts from the challenges the market imposes on producers with the aim of overcoming them.
The new ME350 Next Generation press incorporates all the latest innovations:
01
Maximum dies closing force and maximum one of the independent extruder punches => flash-free forging and reduced thicknesses => reduction in raw material consumption (up to 40% compared to traditional forging).
02
Regenerative hydraulic circuit and adaptive power control to harmonize the energy consumption with the effective forging demand => reduction of electricity consumption (up to 50% compared to the presses of previous generation).
03
Anthropomorphic loading robot and quick dies changing system => increased flexibility by changing a product with another, reducing the necessary machine downtime.
04
Possibility of forging more parts each cycle in the shortest time, reaching the production of 5,000 pieces per hour => high-volume production batches are completed in a short time.
05
The production process is fully automated and connected to existing MES\ERP systems (Industry 4.0) => better staff management who can easily manage multiple presses simultaneously without stress.
06
CALIPSO Software checks the trend of the forging parameters (forces, displacements, sequences, ..) by comparing them with the references => any possible criticality on the quality of the product is overlined in real time and the part is separated from the correct ones.
All these innovations are added to Mecolpress long-lasting experience in the forging field, gained in the province of Brescia, a key area in the global panorama of the production of brass components. Mecolpress offers to the customers a vast availability of spare parts to minimize the relative delivery times and a team of specialized technicians to carry out assistance interventions all over the world.
EXHIBITIONS 2023: MECOLPRESS AT FORGE FAIR (OHIO)
Forge Fair 2023
The United States of America is the country with the highest Gross Domestic Product and has always represented the reference point for the world economy. The tradition of the US manufacturing industry is long-standing and its importance is always growing in every sector. PRODUCTLY MADE IN THE USA!!
Mecolpress with its 50 years of experience in hot metal forging is proud to make its know-how available to make American customers and partners more competitive. Mecolpress has started this process since the 70s and hasn’t stopped yet.
We are proud to announce our presence at Forge Fair 2023 which will be held in Cleveland (Ohio) from May 23rd to 25th. Forge Fair, organized by the Forging Industry Association, is the largest and most important event in North America exclusively dedicated to metal stamping and forging. It will be a pleasant opportunity to discuss and connect the main industrial players in the sector with the aim of increasing their knowledge of production processes and improving them as much as possible.
Mecolpress presents the latest innovations related to forging technologies:
- SEO and HEAVY eccentric mechanical presses from 320 to 600 tons, high productivity up to 40 strokes per minute.
- ME series hydraulic presses: forging without burr with significantly reduced energy consumption.
- Direct drive screw presses: to produce parts with complex geometry.
Smart Brass Forging Presentation
You are invited to participate in the SMART BRASS FORGING presentation which will be held on Tuesday 23 May 3.20-3.45 pm (ET), a useful opportunity to learn about the latest proposals regarding:
- the reduction of the consumption of raw materials.
- the reduction of electricity consumption.
- high production capacity and flexibility in product changes;
- continuous quality control of the forging process;
- operational continuity thanks to after-sales assistance.
We will be proud to have your attention and to answer your questions and requests for clarification.
Augmented Reality, the press just a click away
On our booth it will be possible to view two presses in Augmented Reality: ME and Heavy series.
This technology allows to overlap multimedia information on the reality framed by the camera of your mobile device, smartphone and/or tablet, enriching the vision of the surrounding space with additional digital contributions.
Mecolpress together with its USA partner Forging Equipment Solution, awaits you at Stand 329 – Exhibit Halls A-B
A CUSTOMIZED TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRESSES
Courtesy of Publitec
Magazine Deformazione N.281 FEBRURY 2023
of Aldo Biasotto
Mecolpress has chosen to make use of the customized solution proposed by Siemens, SIMAHYD, to ensure high reliability and better control of the forging process. This solution is combined with Simatic controllers, allowing both control of the hydraulic valves and management of the variable speed pumps.
Mecolpress is a company specialized in the production of machines and systems for hot forging.
Its story begins in 1969 in the Brescia area: here, for over fifty years, the company has been innovating and developing ever new solution to remain competitive on the worldwide market. The heart of Mecolpress beats in Flero (Brescia) where the technologies are designed and manufactured in an industrial area of 30,000 square metres, 10,000 of which are covered by buildings. With a staff of around 60 people, to date Mecolpress has distributed around 2,000 presses to customers in 60 countries all over the world. The context in which the company operates is broad and differentiated . At the beginning it was only focused in the brass hot forging applications, in particular in the production of fittings, valves and fashion products.
Later on, it was expanded to the world of steel, aluminium and special alloys applications, both hot and cold, thus embracing further sectors: automotive, industrial, medical, sports up to watches. To remain competitive on a global scale and bring an innovative contribution to the metal forging market, where the scenarios for the future are increasingly challenging, Mecolpress needed to rely on a top-level partner for technological components.
Thus was born the collaboration with Siemens, in particular regarding the electrical and electronic supply to the company. The goals: to ensure a high reliability in the presses functioning and better control of the forging process.
The way to reach these goals: SIMAHYD. “Siemens offers new solutions regarding power and process control, on a large scale and for different applications. To be successful, you need to be innovative in making your customer competitive: the synergy between Mecolpress and Siemens allows to reach this goal” says Maurizio Razio, Electrical Engineering Manager of Mecolpress.
The advantages of an open and customized package
To pursue this goal, Mecolpress therefore made use of the customized SIMAHYD solution. It is about a custom-built application package, specifically designed for Simatic S7-1500 controllers, which allows the control of hydraulic axes thanks to software modules that extend the functionalities of the original technological objects in Siemens controllers. In this way, both a control of the hydraulic valves and a management of the variable speed pumps are obtained.
The high level of flexibility of applications in the hydraulic sector facilitates a quick and simple control implementation: this was the case of Mecolpress technologies. By applying this solution to the presses, thanks to this package it was possible to ensure the control of the proportional valves on which the seven hydraulic cylinders depend. “The advantages of SIMAHYD open package are many: it allows to make the modifications necessary for integration into the hydraulic circuits of the machines, preserving the existing control program and, to facilitate the axes set-up, it also includes the display part, also It can be integrated into the existing operator interface.
Furthermore, this application is characterized by controller type “fail-safe”, which facilitates an integrated management of the entire machine safety”, explains Sergio Mazzon, OEM Business Developer of Siemens Digital Industries in Italy. Thanks to this customized solution, it was therefore possible to quickly manage the hydraulic power axes, such as those present on the ME Next Generation series presses, reaching extremely high precision and repeatability.
A technologies portfolio for each customer
Today Mecolpress can offer a complete portfolio of technologies according to the application needs of the Customers: eccentric mechanical or screw presses, hydraulic presses, auxiliary presses. The benefits are many and related to both the presses and the complete forging lines: high production capacity with reduced cycle times; high efficiency thanks to the minimization of energy, raw and semi-finished material consumptions; product quality control by monitoring process parameters; complete automation of the production cycle thanks to the reduced intervention of the operator; technologies allowing quick tooling change between one product and another one, in order to manage small production batches too; compatibility with industry 4.0 and arrangement for predictive analysis systems for maintenance and processes; remote or in person assistance service and spare parts warehouse suitable for a prompt response in case of need.
Thanks to the experience gained and the particular attention to innovation, today Mecolpress is able to face the growing challenges of the market head-on. “Thanks to a reliable partner like Siemens, our technologies are perceived as improving and taken into consideration for investments in new industrial assets. The prospects for growth in turnover and market share are solid and demonstrated by the numbers of the last two years and by the orders portfolio acquired” says Danilo Fagnani, Sales Manager of Mecolpress.
EXHIBITIONS 2023: MECOLPRESS AT ISH (GERMANY)
ISH 2023
ISH, the world’s leading trade fair for bathroom furnishing, air conditioning and energy saving comes back in presence after the online edition of 2021.
It will be held from 13 to 17 March 2023 in Frankfurt at Messe Frankfurt. This trade fairs covers many sectors.
We look forward to seeing you at our Booth, Hall 9.1, Booth no. A53
Mecolpress presents the latest innovations in the field of brass hot forging:
- SEO and Heavy mechanical eccentric presses from 320 to 600 tons, high productivity up to 40 strokes per minute.
- ME series hydraulic presses: flash-free forging with significantly reduced energy consumptions.
- Direct drive screw presses: suitable to produce parts having complex geometry!
Augmented Reality, the press just a click away
On our booth it will be possible to view two presses in Augmented Reality: ME and Heavy series.
This technology allows to overlap multimedia information on the reality framed by the camera of your mobile device, smartphone and/or tablet, enriching the vision of the surrounding space with additional digital contributions.
Get your free admission ticket
To facilitate the visit and access in safety, it is appropriate to register to get the free admission ticket.
You can request it by simply filling out this form: