A new high-throughput machine at Dawson Shanahan will allow the company to make larger cold-formed components with less down-time and increased throughput.
The Formax FX54M four-die, high-speed cold former takes the company’s investment in new machinery to £500,000 for the third year in a row. Additional investments have been made in the company’s turning, milling and grinding capabilities, as well as in metrology and cleaning systems.
“This investment will help us broaden our offering to customers, extending the range of work that we can do for them,” says Les Reeves, joint managing director of Dawson Shanahan.
The Formax FX54M, which is larger than any other of Dawson’s cold forming machines, will extend the company’s capability in two ways: its increased size will allow Dawson to make larger cold-formed parts; and its throughput of up to 190 pieces per minute will help raise overall production capacity.
In addition, the Formax FX54M is specially designed to allow fast tool changeovers. Tools can be pre-set – using a second tool pack on a jig – while a production batch is still running. Because the model includes pre-programmed, die-side ejection, tools can then be changed in as little as 20 minutes – a small fraction of the usual four hours required to change tools on a standard four-die header. Overall, faster tool changeovers will reduce machine downtime and help to raise production output.
An added bonus of this arrangement is that – with careful production scheduling – a third and fourth die pack allows Dawson Shanahan to accommodate smaller batch quantities, with shorter run times. This, in turn, cuts the need for component inventory.