Case Study:

Customer: Tier 1 Ride Control Manufacturer

Challenge:

Internal valving disc of a shock absorber. Die not capable of producing quality parts and would not meet production requirements. Die makes 8 different part numbers. Customer shipped die to Overton to produce parts. Die in poor condition, premature punch breakage, pulling slugs, and part quality (excessive burrs and concentricity issues).

Root cause:

Excessive die clearance, oversized pierce button, undersized slot punches, punch to button misalignment, worn punch retainer, die shoe worn, excessive clearance in bridge stripper allowing material fluctuation, worn pins and bushings. Age and die design were contributing factors.

Solution:

Die was reviewed and the following corrective actions were taken: New punches were made to correct size to improve die clearance, correct shims were made to improve worn punch retainer, beveled punch face to retain slugs in button, installed vacuum lines to keep slugs in oversized pierce button, proper alignment done, die shoe ground parallel, correct bridge stripper clearance machined. All corrective actions were done while meeting customer line build requirements. Die condition is not capable of producing parts in a production environment, even after the above improvements. New die on order to new die specifications. Overton to run production requirements in support of the customer, until new die received.