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Alabama Wire, Inc., Pelham, Ala., needed a bending machine capable of handling the larger size wire that their customers sometimes required, so they purchased a used hydraulically powered machine. This manually loaded machine sequenced a series of cylinders to clamp raw bars, make inside and outside bends, and position the tooling. We were asked to look at the machine and make recommendations to bring it up to speed for the '90s.
After we set it up for a trial run, we discovered a number of problem areas. We were surprised that there were no filters on the used machine. We learned that the cooler didn't work, and some of the tooling was binding when it should have slid in and out easily. The machine's outdated control system was inflexible and unsuited to the short-run jobs Alabama Wire planned for it. The control location also did not meet OSHA specifications for safety. The hydraulic power valves were large, direct-solenoid units with high current draw, and the hydraulic tubing appeared to be undersized. These two factors combined to make the machine overheat after only a few minutes of use.
We suggested replacing the controls with a programmable system that could be changed conveniently to meet specific job requirements. We also felt that the start and stop controls should be of an ergonomic design - and placed on a remote pedestal to keep the operator's...