Tube End Forming Machine Refurbishment
Proto-1 Manufacturing offers rebuild and refurbishment services to those who have well used Proto-1 equipment. Refurbishment is a cost-effective way to save capital while also updating your equipment to run for many years to come. Here is how our refurbishment/rebuild process works at Proto-1.
Once we have received a machine, an initial evaluation is conducted by our tool technicians and engineering team. This initial evaluation covers all aspects of the machine to conclude what we would recommend being replaced. After the evaluation is complete, our sales team creates a detailed and broken-down quote showing all the aspects that we would recommend replacing. This quote gives our customers the flexibility to choose what they would replace so they can stay within their budget. Once the approval has been given to move forward with the refurbishment process, the machine goes through our standard machine build process.
New parts are ordered and manufactured in our in-house machine shop. After all the components are completed and staged, they are then brought to assembly. Our technicians then assemble the refurbished tube end forming machine. Once the assembly is complete, an alignment check is conducted for quality and accuracy. Next, electrical engineering then begins the electrical assembly and programming process. Upon initial power up, all motion controls are checked for proper movement and debugging. Once functionality is verified, the machine undergoes an 8-hour continuous dry run, to test mechanical integrity. From there, the machine will then go through our aforementioned tool testing process. Following the completion of the tool development process, the machine then receives a new manual and is crated and staged for shipping. Below are various examples of our past refurbishment work.
Tool Development Process:
Along with our tube end forming equipment, Proto-1 Manufacturing also specializes in building tube end forming tooling for our various tube end forming lines. Before a tool is shipped out to a customer, it is rigorously tested at our facility. This service is included with every Proto-1 tool. But what encompasses tool testing and why is it so vital to the tube end forming process?
To start, once all the parts for each tool assembly are machined and complete, they are then brought to a tool technician for assembly. Each tool is checked for proper assembly and alignment within the machine. Rotary cutoff and punch tools receive a “stack up” check along with assembly. This check ensures that once all the parts are assembled, the critical components are in the proper place in relation to where they will be cutting or punching within the machine.
When the tool assembly and alignment are complete, each tool is then tested in our equipment by one of our technicians. The testing process starts with a dry run of the tooling to verify proper clearances. After the dry run is complete, the technician does an initial run to form a part to nominal print specifications. During this initial test process, the technician analyzes various aspects of the tool and the product that it produces. If adjustments from the HMI of the machine can’t produce a part within specification, then modifications will be made to the tooling components. For rotary tooling, new profiles will be cut into the end forming rollers. Depending upon the form and material, RAM tooling may require new profiles modifications to noses or lead in to produce accurate product.
Once a tool has been verified to make a part within specification, a 5-piece run is then conducted. Each piece goes through our quality lab for analysis against print specification. Upon approval, further runoff tests may be initiated should the customer have any requirements.
Through our tool testing process, Proto-1 can guarantee that our tooling can repeatably produce parts within specification before it leaves our facility. Once the tool has met all the verification steps within the tool testing process, it’s ready to ship out to the customer. Over the course of the testing process, our technicians document their setup parameters and variables. This data is sent along with the tool so our customers can best replicate the same conditions used at Proto-1 to achieve the best part possible.
CCFF Gala
Every year, we manufacturer and donate these awards for the Children’s Cancer Family Foundation of the Fox Valley. These awards are given to 3 kids who help others that are battling cancer. Normally these awards would have been presented at the Gold Ribbon Gala, but due to the response of COVID-19, the gala was hosted virtually. We are proud to announce that they raised over $100,000 dollars for local families during their virtual gala.
