AO Smith Press Controls Upgrade
AO Smith purchased a used 600 ton press for multiple stamping and pressing applications.  The press came with a disparate and obsolete controls package.  The main criteria for upgrading this press was increased speed and scrap reduction.  DRM partnered with AO Smith Engineering and Rockwell Automation to develop this unique press solution.  The steel feeder was retrofit with a +100 horsepower servo motor for feed power and accuracy.   A 200 horsepower AC inverter feed motor replaced the DC main ram and multiple PLCs controlled machine function and press controls.  The operators interfaced the machine with a 15” color touchscreen co-developed by Rockwell and DRM.  The end result was a 600 ton press that can operate up to 50 strokes per minute and feed steel with less than 1/16” scrap repeatedly.     

Timken Bearing Grinders
The Timken Company is a major user of Bryant and Cincinnati grinding machines.  These machines are very well built, but the electrical controls have outperformed their lifecycle.  DRM was contracted to rebuild these machines in an effort to increase safety, productivity and decrease downtime.  The machine controls, including CNC, were gutted and replaced by a modern PLC with integrated servo motion.  The operator station was replaced with a much more simplistic 17” color touchscreen keeping only a few hardware pushbuttons and hand-wheels.  This resulted in part changeovers in 25% less time and improved grinding dynamics.   The machine is a simple to maintain as it is to operate.