Does Your Stamping Department Need a Checkup? Try a Die-Protection Risk Assessment

If you have ever walked through a stamping department at a metal forming facility, you have heard the rhythmic sound of the press stamping out parts, thump, thump. The stamping department is the heart manufacturing facility, and the noise you hear is the heartbeat of the plant. If it stops, the whole plant comes to a halt. With increasing demands for higher production rates, less downtime, and reduction in bad parts, stamping departments are under ever-increasing pressure to optimize the press department through die protection and error-proofing programs.

The die-protection risk assessment team

The first step in implementing or optimizing a die protection program is to perform a die-protection risk assessment. This is much like risk assessments conducted for safety applications, except they are done for each die set. To do this, build a team of people from various positions in the press department like tool makers, operators, and set-up teams.

Once this team is formed, they can help identify any incidents that could occur during the stamping operations for each die set and determine the likelihood and the severity of possible harm. With this information, they can identify which events have a higher risk/severity and determine what additional measures they should implement to prevent these incidents. An audit is possible even if there are already some die protection sensors in place to determine if there are more that should be added and verify the ones in place are appropriate and effective.

The top 4 die processes to check

The majority of quality and die protection problems occur in one of these three areas: material feed, material progression, and part- and slug-out detections. It’s important to monitor these areas carefully with various sensor technologies.

Material feed

Material feed is perhaps the most critical area to monitor. You need to ensure the material is in the press, in the correct location, and feeding properly before cycling the press. The material could be feeding as a steel blank, or it could come off a roll of steel. Several errors can prevent the material from advancing to the next stage or out of the press: the feed can slip, the stock material feeding in can buckle, or scrap can fail to drop and block the strip from advancing, to name a few. Inductive proximity sensors, which detect iron-based metals at short distances, are commonly used to check material feeds.

Material progression

Material progression is the next area to monitor. When using a progressive die, you will want to monitor the stripper to make sure it is functioning and the material is moving through the die properly. With a transfer die, you want to make sure the sheet of material is nesting correctly before cycling the press. Inductive proximity sensors are the most common sensor used in these applications, as well.

Here is an example of using two inductive proximity sensors to determine if the part is feeding properly or if there is a short or long feed. In this application, both proximity sensors must detect the edge of the metal. If the alignment is off by just a few millimeters, one sensor won’t detect the metal. You can use this information to prevent the press from cycling to the next step.

Short feed, long feed, perfect alignment

Part-out detection

The third critical area that stamping departments typically monitor is part-out detection, which makes sure the finished part has come out of the stamping

area after the cycle is complete. Cycling the press and closing the tooling on a formed part that failed to eject can result in a number of undesirable events, like blowing out an entire die section or sending metal shards flying into the room. Optical sensors are typically used to check for part-out, though the type of photoelectric needed depends on the situation. If the part consistently comes out of the press at the same position every time, a through-beam photo-eye would be a good choice. If the part is falling at different angles and locations, you might choose a non-safety rated light grid.

Slug-ejection detection

The last event to monitor is slug ejection. A slug is a piece of scrap metal punched out of the material. For example, if you needed to punch some holes in metal, the slug would be the center part that is knocked out. You need to verify that the scrap has exited the press before the next cycle. Sometimes the scrap will stick together and fail to exit the die with each stroke. Failure to make sure the scrap material leaves the die could affect product quality or cause significant damage to the press, die, or both. Various sensor types can ensure proper scrap ejection and prevent crashes. The picture below shows a die with inductive ring sensors mounted in it to detect slugs as they fall out of the die.

Just like it is important to get regular checkups at the doctor, performing regular die-protection assessments can help you make continuous improvements that can increase production rates and reduce downtime. Material feed, material progression, part-out and slug-out detection are the first steps to optimize, but you can expand your assessments to include areas like auxiliary equipment. You can also consider smart factory solutions like intelligent sensors, condition monitoring, and diagnostics over networks to give you more data for preventative maintenance or more advanced error-proofing. The key to a successful program is to assemble the right team, start with the critical areas listed above, and learn about new technologies and concepts that are becoming available to help you plan ways to improve your stamping processes.

Maximize the Benefits of Open-Source Code in Manufacturing Software













Cost-effectiveness and quality



Control Meets IIoT, Providing Insights into a New World

In manufacturing and automation control, the programmable logic controller (PLC) is an essential tool. And since the PLC is integrated into the machine already, it’s understandable that you might see the PLC as all that you need to do anything in automation on the manufacturing floor.

Condition monitoring in machine automation

For example, process or condition monitoring is emerging as an important automation feature that can help ensure that machines are running smoothly. This can be done by monitoring motor or mechanical vibration, temperature or pressure. You can also add functionality for a machine or line configuration or setup by adding sensors to verify fixture locations for machine configuration at changeovers.

One way to do this is to wire these sensors to the PLC and modify its code and use it as an all-in-one device. After all, it’s on the machine already. But there’s a definite downside to using a PLC this way. Its processing power is limited, and there are limits to the number of additional processes and functions it can run. Why risk possible complications that could impact the reliability of your control systems? There are alternatives.

External monitoring and support processes

Consider using more flexible platforms, such as an edge gateway, Linux, and IO-Link. These external sources open a whole new world of alternatives that provide better reliability and more options for today and the future. It also makes it easier to access and integrate condition monitoring and configuration data into enterprise IT/OT (information technology/operational technology) systems, which PLCs are not well suited to interface with, if they can be integrated at all.

Here are some practical examples of this type of augmented or add-on/retrofit functionality:

      • Motor or pump vibration condition monitoring
      • Support-process related pressure, vibration and temperature monitoring
      • Monitoring of product or process flow
      • Portable battery based/cloud condition monitoring
      • Mold and Die cloud-based cycle/usage monitoring
      • Product changeover, operator guidance system
      • Automatic inventory monitoring warehouse system

Using external systems for these additional functions means you can readily take advantage of the ever-widening availability of more powerful computing systems and the simple connectivity and networking of smart sensors and transducers. Augmenting and improving your control systems with external monitoring and support processes is one of the notable benefits of employing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 tools.

The ease of with which you can integrate these systems into IT/OT systems, even including cloud-based access, can dramatically change what is now available for process information-gathering and monitoring and augment processes without touching or effecting the rudimentary control system of new or existing machines or lines. In many cases, external systems can even be added at lower price points than PLC modification, which means they can be more easily justified for their ROI and functionality.

How Industrial RFID Can Reduce Downtime in Your Stamping Department




Implementing Industrial RFID


need for RFID in appliance stamping
appliance stamping can be improved by RFID




In conclusion


Choosing the Right Sensor for Your Welding Application



  • Sensor Housing
  • Bunkering
  • Connectivity


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Getting Condition Data From The Shop Floor to Your Software

IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things)  is becoming more mainstream, leading to more vendors implementing innovative monitoring capabilities in the new generation of sensors. These sensors are now multifunctional and provide a host of additional features such as self-monitoring.

With these intelligent sensors, it is possible to set up a system that enables continuous monitoring of the machines and production line. However, the essential requirement to use the provided data for analysis and condition monitoring for preventative and predictive maintenance is to get it from the shop floor to the MES, ERP, or other analysis software suites.

There are a variety of ways this can be done. In this post we will look at a few popular ways and methods to do so.

The most popular and straightforward implementation is using a REST API(also known as RESTful API). This has been the de facto standard in e consumer space to transport data. It allows multiple data formats to be transferred, including multimedia and JSON (Javascript Object Notation)

This has certain disadvantages like actively polling for the data, making it unsuitable for a spotty network, and having high packet loss.

MQTT(Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) eliminates the above problem. It’s very low bandwidth and works excellent on unreliable networks as it works on a publish/subscribe model. This allows the receiver to passively listen for the data from the broker. The broker only notifies when there is a change and can be configured to have a Quality of Service(QoS) to resend data if one of them loses connection. This has been used in the IoT world for a long time has become a standard for data transport, so most of software suits have this feature inbuilt.

The third option is to use OPCUA, which is the standard for M2M communication. OPCUA provides additional functionality over MQTT as it was developed with machine communication in mind. Notably, inbuilt encryption allows for secure and authenticated communication.

In summary, below is a comparison of these protocols.

A more detailed explanation can be found for these standards :




Turning Big Data into Actionable Data




Does the prospective vendor have:

  • A core competency in automation for the plant floor?
  • Smart hardware devices like RFID and condition monitoring sensors?
  • A great industry reputation for quality and dependability?
  • Examples of successful system deployments?


How Condition Monitoring has Evolved and Its Role in IIoT

In recent years, as IIoT and Industry 4.0 have become part of our everyday vocabulary, we’ve also started hearing more about condition monitoring, predictive maintenance (PdM) and predictive analytics. Sometimes, we use these terms interchangeably as well. Strictly speaking, condition monitoring is a root that enables both predictive maintenance and predictive analytics. In today’s blog we will brush up a little on condition monitoring and explore its lineage.

Equipment failures have been around since the beginning of time. Over the years, through observation (collecting data) and brute-force methods, we learned that from time-to-time every piece of equipment needs some TLC. Out of this understanding, maintenance departments came to existence, and there we started having experts that could tell based on touch, smell and noise what is failing or what has gone wrong.

Figure 1: Automation Pyramid

Then we started automating the maintenance function either as a preventative measure (scheduled maintenance) or through some automated pieces of equipment that would collect data and provide alerts about a failure. We proudly call these SCADA systems – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. Of course, these systems did not necessarily prevent failures, but help curtail them.  If we look at the automation pyramid, the smart system at the bottom is a PLC and all the sensors are what we call “dumb sensors”. So, that means, whatever information the SCADA system gets would be filtered by the PLC. PLCs were/have been/ and are always focused on the process at hand; they are not data acquisition equipment. So, the data we receive in the SCADA system is only as good as the PLC can provide. That means the information is primarily about processes. So, the only alerts maintenance receives is when the equipment fails, and the process comes to a halt.

With the maintenance experts who could sense impending failures becoming mythological heroes, and  SCADA systems that cannot really tell us the story about the health of the machines, once again, we are looking at condition monitoring with a fresh set of eyes.

Sensors are at the grass root level in the automation pyramid, and until the arrival of IO-Link technology, these sensors were solely focused on their purpose of existence; object detection, or measurement of some kind. The only information one could gather from these sensors was ON/OFF or a signal of 4-20mA, 0-10V, and so on. Now, things are different, these sensors are now becoming pretty intelligent and they, like nosy neighbors, can collect more information about their own health and the environment. These intelligent sensors can utilize IO-Link as a communication to transfer all this information via a gateway module (generally known as IO-Link master) to whomever wants to listen.

Figure 2: IO-Link enabled Balluff photo-eye

The new generation of SCADA systems can now collect information not only from PLCs about the process health, but also from individual devices. For example, a photo-eye can measure the intensity of the reflected light and provide an alert if the intensity drops beyond a certain level, indicating a symptom of pending failure. Or a power supply inside the cabinet providing an alert to the supervisory control about adverse conditions due to increase temperature or humidity in the cabinet. These types of alerts about the symptoms help maintenance prevent unplanned downtime on the plant floor and make factories run more efficiently with reduced scrap, reduced down-time and reduced headaches.

Figure 3: The Next Generation Condition Monitoring

There are many different condition monitoring architectures that can be employed, and we will cover that in my next blog.

Improve OEE, Save Costs with Condition Monitoring Data

When it comes to IIOT (Industrial Internet of Things) and the fourth industrial revolution, data has become exponentially more important to the way we automate machines and processes within a production plant. There are many different types of data, with the most common being process data. Depending on the device or sensor, process data may be as simple as the status of discrete inputs or outputs but can be as complex as the data coming from radio frequency identification (RFID) data carriers (tags). Nevertheless, process data has been there since the beginning of the third industrial revolution and the beginning of the use of programmable logic controllers for machine or process control.

With new advances in technology, sensors used for machine control are becoming smarter, smaller, more capable, and more affordable. This enables manufacturers of those devices to include additional data essential for IIOT and Industry 4.0 applications. The latest type of data manufacturers are outputting from their devices is known as condition monitoring data.

Today, smart devices can replace an entire system by having all of the hardware necessary to collect and process data, thus outputting relative information directly to the PLC or machine controller needed to monitor the condition of assets without the use of specialized hardware and software, and eliminating the need for costly service contracts and being tied to one specific vendor.

A photo-electric laser distance sensor with condition monitoring has the capability to provide more than distance measurements, including vibration detection. Vibration can be associated with loose mechanical mounting of the sensor or possible mechanical issues with the machine that the sensor is mounted. That same laser distance sensor can also provide you with inclination angle measurement to help with the installation of the sensor or help detect when there’s a problem, such as when someone or something bumps the sensor out of alignment. What about ambient data, such as humidity? This could help detect or monitor for moisture ingress. Ambient pressure? It can be used to monitor the performance of fans or the condition of the filter elements on electrical enclosures.

Having access to condition monitoring data can help OEMs improve sensing capabilities of their machines, differentiating themselves from their competition. It can also help end users by providing them with real time monitoring of their assets; improving overall equipment efficiency and better predicting  and, thereby, eliminating unscheduled and costly machine downtime. These are just a few examples of the possibilities, and as market needs change, manufacturers of these devices can adapt to the market needs with new and improved functions, all thanks to smart device architecture.

Integrating smart devices to your control architecture

The most robust, cost effective, and reliable way of collecting this data is via the IO-Link communication protocol; the first internationally accepted open, vendor neutral, industrial bi-directional communications protocol that complies with IEC61131-9 standards. From there, this information can be directly passed to your machine controller, such as PLC, via fieldbus communication protocols, such as EtherNET/Ip, ProfiNET or EtherCAT, and to your SCADA / GUI applications via OPC/UA or JSON. There are also instances where wireless communications are used for special applications where devices are placed in hard to reach places using Bluetooth or WLAN.

In the fast paced ever changing world of industrial automation, condition monitoring data collection is increasingly more important. This data can be used in predictive maintenance measures to prevent costly and unscheduled downtime by monitoring vibration, inclination, and ambient data to help you stay ahead of the game.

Injection Molding: Ignore the Mold, Pay the Price





Figure 1 An example of the mold usage process.








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