Product category:
Process Hardware (Pipes, Nozzles, Heaters, etc)
News Release from: Moog Controls | Subject: M3000 series
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 21 November 2003
Servo controller speeds hydroforming
process
The M3000 digital servo controller is ideal for the complex pressure and motion profiles required in hydroforming or any other metal forming application.
For more than five decades, Moog has pioneered the design and manufacture of servo control products and systems These products and systems provide precise control of position, velocity, force, pressure, acceleration and other critical parameters associated with precision metal forming
High productivity is an important factor on metal forming processing technology.
There is a high potential to achieve "high added value in part processing".
It is still important for a manufacturing industry to produce output with low cost, high quality and high speed processing.
For the next step, the market will need these machines to have the capability of processing parts of complicated forms, which carried out the packaging of various functions into one.
Today, Moog motion control products and customised solutions can be found throughout the machine tool industry: on punch presses, deep drawing presses, powder metal presses, press-brakes, tube bending machines and material handling systems.
From conventional forming techniques to modern hydroforming technology, Moog's innovations are at work.
Moving into the 21st century, hydroforming is gaining popularity in the automotive industry as well as in other sectors.
Hydroforming is well known for its proven technique of producing strong, lightweight, high-quality components at a lower cost than conventional metal forming and welding techniques.
Benefits of Hydro-forming include: high-precision complex geometrical forms can be made with greater flexibility; cost-savings - as parts can be produced with less material and tooling; light weight - because wall thickness can be controlled with precision; high bending strength and torsional stiffness as a result of no welding joints; and increased overall quality and structural integrity.
In the hydroforming process, the work piece - a steel sheet or tube - is placed into a die consisting of two halves.
The die is then closed and the tube ends are sealed by pipe pressure counter cylinders.
A liquid water/oil emulsion is injected into the tube through the pipe pressure counter cylinder at a pressure up to 4000bar.
During the hydroforming process, axial punches close the tube ends with great force, while the emulsion hydroforms the tube wall to the shape of the die.
Very advanced technology is required to achieve the desired output.
Complexities can arise such as complicated form, friction power between the mould and product at fabrication, varying swelling rate with different materials etc.
Servo control technology helps produce the end product with the required thickness, by controlling water pressure or velocity control of each cylinder.
This can be achieved by varying the moving time under software control.
Moog has a wealth of experience in the hydroforming press application with a track record supplying hydraulic subsystems with high-response servo valves and digital servo controllers with advanced software.
The hydroforming processes requires fast precision forming cycles with high repeatability.
The working process involves precise regulation of the velocity and force of each pipe pressure counter cylinders and the intensifier cylinder.
Moog's state-of-the-art M3000 series digital servo controller and high-performance servo valves can deliver the performance required.
The M3000 digital servo controller is a high performance device with PLC functionality capable of handling complex multi-axis tasks.
Moog Axis Control Software (MACS) is an all-in-one package with programming, debugging, simulation, parameterisation, visualisation and tracing capabilities.
The M3000 is built to enable users to easily implement components with a common control architecture to handle complex pressure and motion profiles, which can be both time- and event-dependent, as required in hydroforming or any other metal forming application. Request a free brochure from Moog Controls ...
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