SmartPAC 2 is a smart modular interface for multiple press automation functions
February, 2024- Funds from legislation such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will fuel growth in 2024 for construction, power supplies, waterfront, bridges, transportation, energy and defense. The projected workload from these and other markets will propel demand for metal fabrication over the next decade. But the uptick for manufacturers is juxtaposed with disturbing labor statistics.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 50 million workers quit their jobs in 2022, following the 47.8 million who quit in 2021. Since August 2023, 34 million Americans have followed suit. What was initially dubbed the Great Resignation is now being called the Great Reshuffle.
Stephanie Ferguson, director for global employment policy and special initiatives for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, reported in December 2023 that workforce participation remains below pre-pandemic levels. “We are missing 1.7 million Americans from the workforce,” she said.
Data reported by the chamber noted that “the decline is nothing new.” The labor force has been dwindling for decades and is expected to continue to shrink.
SEA CHANGES
Jim Finnerty, product manager for Wintriss Controls Group LLC, agrees. Finnerty has spent 42 years with the company, which manufactures press automation, die protection and safety controls for metal stampers as well as OEE data collection software for discrete manufacturing.
“The country underwent a major change in the 70s and 80s,” he says. “At the time, our customers were largely in the Rust Belt. The majority of people in those regions were farmers. By sheer necessity they had to develop the skills needed to fix pretty much everything. Young people exposed to that environment made up the bulk of prospects for job shops and factories. While many farms remain family owned, corporate annexation has impacted the industry.”
In addition, says Finnerty, “a large number of young people aren’t interested in working in a manufacturing plant due to misconceptions about factory environments. It’s not going to turn around anytime soon despite the apprenticeship programs and educational awareness efforts trying to take root and grow.”
Wintriss controls can integrate activities such as the feed loop between the feeder and the coil, motor control features or clutch/brake controls
Wintriss has undergone its own sea changes throughout its nearly 80-year-history, oft en to help customers stay abreast of market fluctuations. The company, which introduced the first patented electronic die protection system in 1958, has since developed a string of solutions from a solid-state die protection controller to Computerized Pressroom Reporting, Wintriss’ first shop floor data collection software launched in 1985. Recent advances include ShopFloorConnect, new features for SmartPAC PRO DiProPAC and in 2021, upgrades for its SmartPAC PRO ProCamPAC Programmable Limit Switch.
“Historically we sold controls, installed them on presses and provided support service,” says Finnerty. “To help customers thrive despite labor problems, we began to develop custom integrated turnkey control packages. Instead of an operator having to walk around the press starting multiple functions, we engineer the control to perform press tasks automatically.” Wintriss controls can integrate activities such as the feed loop between the feeder and the coil, motor control features or clutch/brake controls. “It shortens the time it takes to train new operators,” he notes.
Wintriss’ ShopFloorConnect is production tracking software that provides real-time reports on machine downtime and production inefficiencies. SmartPAC PRO features a programmable limit (cam) switch, die protection, tonnage monitoring, brake stopping time monitor, counters, servo feed interface, automatic machine data collections, shut height and counterbalance control and in-die measurement.
Stampers don’t have to invest in a new press to take advantage of these technologies. A legacy machine can be stripped down and retrofitted. “While the press frame provides support, it’s the controls and software that have evolved,” he says.
SmartPAC PRO press automation controller gives operators functions that include monitoring, control and connectivity, safety and productivity
AHEAD
Communication has also advanced. Finnerty recommends manufacturers network Wintriss controls. “For example, if I’ve loaded settings for 54 dies into my control, I can upload those recipes to the network and make a backup copy. If there is a power surge, those settings aren’t lost. I just offload them from the directory.”
Another important aspect about networking is that a manager or technician, without software, can access press data, look at production and make programming adjustments from their desk. “Text messages can also be generated if a toolmaker or engineer is needed.” In addition to automation and enhanced communication, Finnerty expects artificial intelligence to infiltrate stamping processes. For production floors that support multiple stamping presses with a range of part runs waiting in the queue, AI can learn to match the right machines with the right jobs. These types of real-time decisions can help a company optimize its scheduling for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It may also prove a potential solution to solving some of the labor issues manufacturers are dealing with.
“I visited a South Carolina facility a few years ago,” says Finnerty. “I recognized one of the guys at the plant. I had trained him in 1986. He was currently working for a lawn mower and snow blower manufacturer that went through about 1 million lbs. of steel per day. He could go outside, look at the raw material, assess availability and then tell personnel what to run. It had taken him 45 years to gain that innate knowledge and experience. It’s not something he can tell other people how to do. It’s in his DNA. The only thing that could replace him is AI it’s always learning.”
Wintriss produces approximately 500 controls per year with a percentage falling into the category of custom turnkey packages. In addition to its WPC Clutch/Brake and SmartPAC PRO controls, the company can custom build and install motor controls, integrate servo feeds, variable speed drives and controllers for robots, transfer systems or other automation. “We can do it all from start to finish,” says Finnerty.
Wintriss Controls Group LLC, 800/586-8324, wintriss.com
