Automatic Feed Announces New "Smart" Systems
 
Automatic Feed Company, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of coil handling and press feeding automation equipment, has announced the availability of its new line of SMART machine systems including cut-to-length and blanking lines. The machine systems are designed to fit a variety of OEM requirements.

  

Automatic Feed Company has incorporated product standardization and modularity to


As part of its modular SMART machine product line, Automatic Feed Company's new SMART Pinch Roll Stands are designed as a standardized modular sub-assembly resulting in a 22% reduction in total parts, 73% savings in roll replacement steps, and longer life based upon sealed bearings and enclosed gearing.
help reduce the number of components and complexity of its equipment design and controls architecture.

     

To accomplish this, the company segmented its equipment design into standard, stand-alone sub-systems, whereby the choice of motor, cylinder, valves or other machine components are reduced to interchangeable commodities. According to the company, this allows the customer to specify components with minimal impact on overall process and at a lower cost.

     

"Each automaker has traditionally had its own set of machine standards as well as a list of approved component suppliers," says Automatic Feed Company's president, Kim Beck. "We studied all the various system requirements and came up with a single, component neutral standard that would satisfy each of them. From there, we set the design parameters and called upon each component supplier to fit within these requirements. This results in a standard plug and play concept - it doesn't matter whose motors, drives or valves we are using- they all fit the system as designed."

     

Automatic Feed Company's new SMART (Standardization & Modularization Action Resource Team) machines and systems grew out of its product standardization program beginning in the late 1990s with a focus on developing system simplification and delivering cost reduction.

     

In addition to the capital equipment aspect of the SMART program, Automatic Feed Company is also driving standardization into the controls architecture design and into its equipment build processes.

     

"We look at SMART as our world machines," says Beck, "no matter where our customers are, we can make a machine that adapts to their needs at a lower cost and with better quality."

     

For more information contact:

      Automatic Feed Co.

      476 E. Riverview

      Napoleon, OH 43545-1899

      419-592-0050

      Fax: 419-592-8590

      www.automaticfeed.com