Above: A four-post cold press equipped with Delta Motion controller helps W&O Supply produce military-grade fittings in diameters of ¼ in. to 32 in. and pressure tolerance ranges of 200 psi to 6,000 psi.
November, 2024: In 2017, the U.S. Navy identified a significant weakness in the supply chain for fittings in diameters of ¼ in. to 32 in. and pressure tolerance ranges of 200 psi to 6,000 psi. “There weren’t enough suppliers capable of making fittings in these sizes and tolerance ranges,” says William Abbott, director of quality for W&O Supply.
The company supplies pipe, valves, fittings and actuation and engineered solutions for the marine industry, commercial shipping, U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command, MARA D, U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA, cruise lines, barge owners, offshore oil and natural-gas rigs, plus shipyards that build and repair vessels of all sizes. Its Engineered Products and Automated Services division provides valve-automation services. W&O has 18 branches throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia.
To meet market demand for the military-grade pipe fittings, W&O established a new subsidiary called Seamless Marine Fittings. The production process called for a large, highly accurate cold press. Instead of using heat to shape a part, cold metal stamping employs intense pressure by bending pieces over a mandrel or through a closed die attached to the ram. It can produce stronger, more accurate fittings with greater consistency than hot presses.
In order to meet military and maritime specifications, W&O needed a custom cold press with the right controller.
“We started small with a 500-ton cold press that could produce fittings up to 10 in.,” says Abbott. “The design targeted high-strength materials and difficult-to-manufacture items. It went so well that W&O scaled up its next iteration a full-size four-post cold press able to handle 3,000 tons or six times the pressure of the previous machine. The total force contributed by all cylinders, each of which provides up to 1.2 kilotons of energy force, is 6,000 tons.”
THE RIGHT CONTROL
Built to accommodate construction of military vessels such as submarines, carriers and destroyers, the cold press was also equipped with a Delta Motion industrial controller. The company designs and builds motion controllers for servo-hydraulic and servo-electric applications. Conventional motion control solutions tend to be constructed with closed architecture and offer limited performance features, according to the manufacturer. Acquainted with the function and operation of Delta Motion controllers, Abbott initiated discussions with the company about its RMC motion controller. Review of Delta’s RMCTools software also influenced W&O’s choice.“The software’s simple interface belied a remarkably versatile functionality that gave us all the access needed to do pretty much whatever we wanted,” says Abbott. “It became very clear that the product was exactly what we needed.”
Delta RMC200 motion controller equipped with SSI interface modules, high-resolution analog modules and two digital channels.
W&O selected a Delta RMC200 motion controller. Equipped with SSI interface modules, high-resolution analog modules, and two digital channels, the control can accommodate up to 50 axes. While the application’s current requirement is for five axes, W&O was looking ahead to scalability of larger projects.
“The modules were so configurable that we didn’t have to worry about buying a special module for a special widget,” Abbott says. “Most other controllers we evaluated required special adapters and/or programming, thereby increasing design complexity. With Delta,” he continues, “I can bring in SSI and analog feedback for position and velocity. Delta understood that motion is not just one path and that there are all different kinds of motion.
Working together, all cylinders of the cold press provide up to 1.2 kilotons of energy force or 6,000 tons.
“The RMC motion controller doesn’t just give a position set point, it also provides a continuously updated target position, velocity and acceleration up to 8,000 times per second,” Abbott says.
ZERO FAILURES
With input from Delta Motion engineers, Abbott collaborated with W&O’s hydraulic designers on details such as the selection of valves. “Anything modulating velocity or pressure to the demands of this project must respond accurately and repeatedly under such highpressure conditions,” he says.
“This design process was critical to the final solution. The wrong valve would ultimately doom the entire project.
“Delta’s PROFINET connectivity helped to make integration seamless,” Abbott continues. “It typically takes one to two weeks to see a motion control project up and running. With Delta and the cold press, the team was able to perform integration in a single day. The programming worked as-is. That’s crazy. It’s hard for me to spin you a story when everything just goes so smoothly.”
Similarly, the normal time required for tuning the motion axes on an installation would have taken a week. With Delta, it was only one more day.
In addition to a user-friendly interface, Delta provides RMCTools at no additional cost regardless of which controller a company chooses.
W&O also found Delta’s “old school” approach to service, field experience and responsive technical support to be an advantage.
“If I had it all to do again,” Abbott says, “I’d pick Delta in a heartbeat.” Since commissioning this application, “we’ve had zero failures, and we’ve had to make zero adjustments. The motion system has been in continuous operation since inception and continues to deliver unmatched performance.”
Delta Motion, 360/254-8688, http://deltamotion.com/
W&O Supply, 904/354-3800, http://wosupply.com/
