Combined Constructive Solutions for Increasing Cast C-Frame Stiffness of Mechanical Presses

Abstract

With responsibility as its central element, sustainable development is a concept that calls for permanently increasing information usage while minimising material and energy consumption. Waste – particularly of energy – cannot last, and is evidently not a long-term solution. In the field of machine-tools structures deemed sustainable fulfil their functions for a sufficiently long period of time, while consuming as small as possible amounts of energy and including a small as possible volume of material. In a machine-tool, as in numerous other industrial products, energy consumption in deployment significantly exceeds that of their manufacturing. A conclusive example is that of mechanical presses, machine-tools with long service lives and considerable deployment energy consumption. With increasing stiffness of presses, deployment energy consumption is smaller. Detailed research conducted by the authors has yielded a series of innovative constructive solutions for mechanical press cast C-frames – frames with ribbed lateral walls, frames with pre-stressed front columns and shortened frames – with increased stiffness and minimum additional metal consumption as their main relevant characteristics. The finite element based study of these novel constructive solutions has revealed stiffness increases of 1 to 12 %, significantly depending on the type of constructive solution. The novel solutions can be combined in view of cumulating the obtained positive effects. The paper presents relevant examples of such combined constructive solutions and the results related to stiffness increase obtained by means of the conducted FEA study.