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Long term effects of power press vibration on machine accuracy?

T Bigelow

Plastic
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Location
Long Island, NY, USA
As the title says, I am wondering the effects of vibration from stamping presses on the machine accuracy. The stamping company I work for decided to install their brand new vmc 50-100 feet max away from a 150 ton power press, there are also 4 smaller presses within that radius. The vmc is not on its own foundation nor is it anchored. Currently when the main press is running vibrations from it can be felt in the sheet metal on the body of the vmc. What sort of problems can I look forward to down the road because of this?

Thanks,
Tom
 
Just out of curiosity, I would mount an indicator in the spindle, pick up a block on the table(or just the vise) and show the powers-to-be how much the CNC is shaking as the presses are running. I hope at least the CNC is on some sort of vibration isolators. If the machine is really shaking, it may not be good for the electronics. But I'm no CNC guy, so I'm sure others will have more to add.
 
I am wondering the effects of vibration from stamping presses on the machine accuracy.

Funny you should mention this.... :D

I happen to have a e1550 Integrex mounted 40 feet from (3) 800 ton presses in a building that also has a couple dozen more presses of various tonage nearby as well. What are the effects and time frame? That's going to depend on several things and your time relativity of "short term" and "long term". So, let's break it down....

The immediate effects are likely to be surface finishes and tool chiping if your cutting hard materials. How bad this might be will depend on a few factors.

As for geometry, you didn't mention what VMC was installed but machine design for both the frame and foot pads will play a role. C-frame machines will be very violent on the finishes as opposed to a bridge or double column. 3-point machines isn't likely to get twisted up like a conventional machine pad set up.

You're not on a isolated foundation so your affects has an even bigger question mark because other things come into play like number of concrete pads the machine sits on, the base rock of the floor and the dirt all of that sits on. The machine sheet metal is not a real good indicator of vibrations. You need to feel the table and head assembly. If you can feel the press in them, you'll likely see an affect on the part.

Geometrically, the machine is not bolted down, no foundation to isolate, and it's near a press. The time frame of going "out of square" is hard to say but you'll want to monitor it for sure.

The press cycle will play a role as well. 150ton press isn't that big. So they tend to have short strokes and fast cycles. These little ones can actually wreak more havoc than the big ones just due to the cycling. Also, the type of die set makes a big difference. Such as.... a form die generally isn't nearly as violent as a cutoff/punch die.

Component/hardware/electrical wise, I wouldn't be overly concerned about them. You think about it, machines vibrate on their own from cutting. So these components are usually installed to handle quite a bit of Rockn-n-Rolln.

So, how frequent will you be fixing things? It will depend on all of the factors I mentioned above... time will soon tell......

:cheers:
 
If the press was properly installed on an isolated foundation - no effect. If your press was dropped on 4 inches of concrete on top of a former swamp....quite a bit. If its a pc based control make sure the hard drive is vibration isolated.
 
I'm convinced that some of our problems with repeatability on a Cincinnati laser are due to being literally right next to a 275 ton and 400 ton press, although I can't prove it.
 








 
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