Hi Zim!
It's a mechanical problem. Bearing surfaces that are not aligning for some mysterious reason.
There are two very small diameter round punches that are are 7 1/2 inches above the center of the anvil parts of two custom made tiny die forming parts that have an anvil diameter of .125.
The punch diameter is .120
It MUST be dead center to the anvil and not on the edge or outside the edge.
The punches are powered by a vertical dual acting air over hydraulic cylinder with h a high side pressure actuator that when actuated or engaged produces over 8,000 Pounds of force per square inch per punch.
This means I have to hold two thousandths of an inch over 7 1/2 inches on a moving cylinder piston attached to a piece of 2 inch thick plate steel which holds two punch holders and the punches. The holders are mounted internally to two hemi-spheres of steel with over sized holes that are tapped so the donut can be moved and positioned for centering of the punches onto the die.
All of a sudden I cannot get enough adjustment to center one of the two punches and that means shattering tiny dies at the tune of $400.00 per busted die.
I went through six of them two weeks ago.
These, if centered properly should last about six months.
The entire machine is air over hydraulic cylinder operated and has a total of six punch/die points that take two steel pieces and press one inside the other and "milk can" it so they are in essence "staked" together.
It requires 100 psi to pull them apart.
Took me about six months to come up with the idea and design for this piece of machinery that is built to do only this thing. It assembles the lid assemblies onto the bodies of the boxes. The very last operation before going to powder coating for paint finishing and then packaging onto pallets and stretch filmed on a machine and put into finished goods inventory pending loading onto a semi trailer.
A simplistic machine in scope using lots of pneumatic switches, timers, valves, and actuators.
I think I have found a solution earlier this afternoon but it requires me to take one of the two holders to the machine shop to have a mounting hole opened up more at the five o'clock position so I have more clearance to move that holder with the punch in it toward 11:00 o'clock and off the very outside edge of the die. The punch must be precisely in the inside center or the die will break and shatter under that high pressure that is applied. If one breaks then the other will as well because it cannot by itself stand the pressure of that high pressure cylinder bearing down on it alone.
Glad its not electrical but I had similar machinery previously made by Teledyne Precision that had control panels with a couple dozen mechanical contactor relays and about two miles of wiring inside.
These custom welding machines did basically the same operations I am doing today except they spot welded instead of STAKING and my design works more efficiently, more quickly, and is more aesthetically appealing.
Multi-pointed and tipped electric resistance welders have more problems than this machine to sort through so I don't miss them.
My good friend is a master electrician and lives just a minute down the street from my plant. If it were an electrical issue, I would have it fixed already.
Unfortunately I don;t own a vertical or horizontal mill with a carbide cutter or I might have this remedied already as well.
SO, Monday morning early it is. Hopefully I can make up some of the ground we lost by not being able to work today.
Wish me luck! This is critical. It HAS to run and be right or I am dead. Too many orders to get done and each hour down is killing me.
The best,
micro...
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