In daily production, due to the particularity of the bending process, there is a high dependence on the operator, which has always been a bottleneck in production. Breaking through the bottleneck of bending is the key to achieving normalized and rationalized production.
Breaking through with the 5MIE Analysis Method
Based on the company's production situation and existing problems, we conducted an analysis starting from the 5MIE aspects.
Selecting appropriate processing and protection measures
Since different types and thicknesses of sheet metal have different processing requirements, different processing and protection measures should be adopted based on the material properties and customer's appearance requirements. SPCC, SPHC, and SS400 sheet metal belong to general processing and do not require special protection during bending as there is a subsequent painting process. SECC, SGCC, and coated galvanized sheets, on the other hand, do not undergo painting after bending and require attention to surface scratches and protection of the galvanized layer. SUS and Al sheet metal often have requirements for no bending marks, and processing methods such as film cushioning, pad plates, rolling bars/needles, polyurethane, and wing bending (WINGBEND) should be selected based on the sheet thickness.
Indicate the processing method and die on the engineering drawings
Bending processes commonly include air bending, bottoming, and coining. In addition, there is the large R bending method, which can be achieved by using standard dies to bend the arc step by step or using R dies to process the arc once or multiple times. This information needs to be clearly indicated on the bending process drawing to prevent arbitrary processing on the production site. Taking the example of a 1.2mm galvanized sheet metal arc cover plate with an R99mm arc, the unfolded length of the arc is 156.5mm. If step bending is performed using standard dies, each segment of the arc requires 31 bends, totaling 124 bends for 4 segments. If the EasyBend method is used, each segment of the arc requires 2 bends, totaling 8 bends for 4 segments. This requires engineering design or the purchase of dedicated dies to clarify the manufacturing process.
Generally, for the bending of sheet metal parts such as chassis and server enclosures, multiple sets of dies such as standard dies, tongue dies, step difference dies, avoidance dies, and flattening dies are required. To reduce the time for die installation and adjustment, equal height dies can be used. These dies have consistent closed heights, allowing for multiple types of bending processes with just one clamping, greatly improving efficiency.
Solutions to the "discontinuity" issue with skilled benders
1. Currently, there is a lack of specialized sheet metal training or courses, and there is also a lack of specialized bending training institutions in the industry. The training of benders lacks theoretical guidance and mostly relies on apprenticeship under experienced masters. Many bad habits are passed down. Therefore, companies must provide professional training or on-the-job training internally or externally. Companies can also provide specialized training based on their products, benefiting both engineering and production personnel and ensuring consistency.
2. Most companies have the concept of heavy machinery and light tooling, and there is a lack of education on bending dies and related knowledge. This is an aspect that companies should pay attention to.
3. To reduce the heavy reliance on skilled benders in the production site, companies can introduce automated equipment for bending (such as bending robots) and related software (such as offline programming for bending) in a timely manner.
Breaking through with the 5MIE Analysis Method
Based on the company's production situation and existing problems, we conducted an analysis starting from the 5MIE aspects.
Selecting appropriate processing and protection measures
Since different types and thicknesses of sheet metal have different processing requirements, different processing and protection measures should be adopted based on the material properties and customer's appearance requirements. SPCC, SPHC, and SS400 sheet metal belong to general processing and do not require special protection during bending as there is a subsequent painting process. SECC, SGCC, and coated galvanized sheets, on the other hand, do not undergo painting after bending and require attention to surface scratches and protection of the galvanized layer. SUS and Al sheet metal often have requirements for no bending marks, and processing methods such as film cushioning, pad plates, rolling bars/needles, polyurethane, and wing bending (WINGBEND) should be selected based on the sheet thickness.
Indicate the processing method and die on the engineering drawings
Bending processes commonly include air bending, bottoming, and coining. In addition, there is the large R bending method, which can be achieved by using standard dies to bend the arc step by step or using R dies to process the arc once or multiple times. This information needs to be clearly indicated on the bending process drawing to prevent arbitrary processing on the production site. Taking the example of a 1.2mm galvanized sheet metal arc cover plate with an R99mm arc, the unfolded length of the arc is 156.5mm. If step bending is performed using standard dies, each segment of the arc requires 31 bends, totaling 124 bends for 4 segments. If the EasyBend method is used, each segment of the arc requires 2 bends, totaling 8 bends for 4 segments. This requires engineering design or the purchase of dedicated dies to clarify the manufacturing process.
Generally, for the bending of sheet metal parts such as chassis and server enclosures, multiple sets of dies such as standard dies, tongue dies, step difference dies, avoidance dies, and flattening dies are required. To reduce the time for die installation and adjustment, equal height dies can be used. These dies have consistent closed heights, allowing for multiple types of bending processes with just one clamping, greatly improving efficiency.
Solutions to the "discontinuity" issue with skilled benders
1. Currently, there is a lack of specialized sheet metal training or courses, and there is also a lack of specialized bending training institutions in the industry. The training of benders lacks theoretical guidance and mostly relies on apprenticeship under experienced masters. Many bad habits are passed down. Therefore, companies must provide professional training or on-the-job training internally or externally. Companies can also provide specialized training based on their products, benefiting both engineering and production personnel and ensuring consistency.
2. Most companies have the concept of heavy machinery and light tooling, and there is a lack of education on bending dies and related knowledge. This is an aspect that companies should pay attention to.
3. To reduce the heavy reliance on skilled benders in the production site, companies can introduce automated equipment for bending (such as bending robots) and related software (such as offline programming for bending) in a timely manner.
