A Case for Efficiency

 

COMPANY

 

Electro-Cap Intl., Eaton, Ohio

 

MARKETS SERVED

 

Global supplier of electro-caps, systems and supplies commercial topographical EEG equipment

 

PROBLEM

 

Electro-Cap punched tin electrodes for the caps by hand, fed material manually and moved parts from station to station by hand. Two operators worked an 8-hr. shift to make 400 parts each from 0.050 in. thick tin sheet. The fabricator needed to automate this process to increase production capacity.

 

SOLUTION

 

AIRAM engineered a production system that included a 3-ton pneumatic press with a 1.38 in. stroke and maximum speed of 150 strokes per minute. The system included an uncoiler and controls as well as two progressive dies with two stations, each with a cutoff for scrap. AIRAM plates were designed with low deflection characteristics comparable to that of crankshaft-driven press to optimize accuracy. Control of ram and stroke allows Electro-Cap to run any material length at any speed without worrying about ram position.

 

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

 

Electro-Cap was able to reduce labor content by half and increase production to 800 parts in just 30 minutes. The company now has the capacity to make up to 3000 electrodes a day without adding labor costs.