Robust is important

Hydraulic presses are long-term capital goods that must be of robust design and construction. At Röcher Maschinenbau GmbH this principle runs through the entire production program from C frame presses to customer-specific special systems.

Special system for manufacturing different products of one product family from the coil without the need of retooling

Whether it is about punching, drawing, bending, sizing, inserting, bordering, trimming, straightening or assembling, the entire range of the forming technique is covered by the machines made by Röcher Maschinenbau GmbH. The presses and systems manufactured in Netphen-Deuz are laid out both as standard machines and configurated according to the specifications of the customer and including additional equipment.

The product range, so Heiko Röcher, Managing Director of the Röcher company, extends from simple manually loaded presses as far as complete systems and special machines. In practice this means above all an in-plant organisation that can handle both most different dimensions and numerous additional equipment, as the machines are fitted with different equipment, such as tool protection, tool control, quick-acting tool clamping device and much more.

There is a simple principle behind each development: "it is important", says Heiko Röcher "that hydraulic presses are of robust construction, as these machines represent investments for a very long period of time, i.e. a stiff and fatigue-resisting press frame, precise guidance assemblies, enduring cylinders with thick walls, hydraulic control with appropriate functions and cross sections as well as a reliable electric control that is well comprehensible for the operator."
Therefore, the parameters of all Röcher machines, such as forces, positions, speeds and functions are preselected on the operator terminal, as the parameters can so be saved and are retrievable, if required – an aspect contributing to short retooling times.

The C frame press with press carriage withstands eccentric loads

Heiko Röcher explains with the aid of different examples how the principle is put into practice. So hydraulic C frame presses with guided press carriage are above all interesting for the press owners who need the accessibility of a C frame press but for whom the standard C frame press with round guides is not sufficient. Thanks to a robust construction and adjustable guidance assemblies, bending up of these presses is reduced to the extent that these machines can also be used for pressing with eccentric force.

Double sided press for applications from manual loading to automatized processes Another example is the construction of the hydraulic double sided press with largely dimensioned adjustable eightfold guidance assemblies for which wear-resistant bronze strips improve the guidance accuracy. The field of application of this type of machine extends from manual loading operation as far as automatic systems including strip processing machine, robot or transfer system.

Column press for applications with long strokes and centric loads Hydraulic column presses with internal ram, external ram and drawing pad are suitable for applications where long strokes and centric loads are involved.

 

Precise pressing processes with hydraulic controls are their strength. The precise force controls, the controls for the avoidance of pressure peaks as well as exact positioning or rapid synchronisation controls – for Röcher, precision presses are an important part of the delivery program.

This also applies to punching presses with progressive compound tools, which need high safety against ram tilting due to the required accuracy of the cutting gap. As regards the Röcher presses, the required precision is ensured by a 12-fold roller guide along with a hydroelectronic synchronisation control.

High accuracies are of great importance for punching presses with progressive compound tools

Normally, Röcher supplies presses with roll feed where the press and the roll feed are controlled via the same operator terminal. The roll feeds are equipped with electric servodrive. In the past, strip processing systems were manufactured for strip thicknesses of up to 8 mm.

"As the company disposes of a wide processing spectrum including the required know-how in the field of mechanical, hydraulic, electric engineering and software", so Heiko Röcher, we are also in the position to manufacture user-specific special presses and systems. This must not necessarily be production equipment that is related to a press.

Such a special system is e.g. a fully automatic punching system that optimises the entire production of one component family. The production processes notching, perforating, stamping and cutting a steel strip to length are similar but not identical for all components of the product family. Alternatively to the slow nibbling machines Röcher has developed a system that produces all of the different component versions directly from the coil and this successively without the need of retooling the machine. The essential components of the machine are the decoiling system, straightening machine and the roll feed as well as 10 hydraulic workstations, which are CNC controlled and adjusted to the product to be manufactured in each case. The production process is determined by the sequence of workpiece types entered in the CNC control. The defined number of different types of workpieces can be produced without any interruption.

 

An individual product made to specification: The splitting system of 50 m in length The system for splitting, straightening and deburring special sections is another real special design. Röcher supplied this system including bundle feeding, cross conveyor, roller beds, inlet guides, collecting tray, straightening machine, separating rollers, splitting shear, scrap crusher, deburring shear and complete electric control.