In powder pressing, the ability to produce parts accurately is only one part of the productivity equation. As production trends shift from long, stable runs towards more varied order profiles, time and consistency of changeover are becoming increasingly important.
Each change from one tooling and powder system to another affects machine availability, labour planning and the stability of production restart.
This shift places new focus on one of the most critical and often most underestimated stages in powder pressing: the part changeover.
Retooling a press from one die set and powder system to another remains, in many operations, a largely manual process. It requires experienced personnel, careful cleaning, correct tooling installation and accurate transfer of process parameters. When carried out under time pressure, it can become a major source of downtime, quality variation and startup scrap.
DORST UPTIME: Automating product changeover in powder pressing
