Understanding the Coil Blanking Lines and Tailor Welded Blanks

A coil blanking line, also referred to as a blanking line, or a blanking press line, is an important part of a highly sophisticated, fully automated production system. It is comprehensively used in the sheet metalworking industry to cut flat metal coils into particular shapes and designs which are most commonly called blanks. The coil blanking line is made up of a large number of integrated components and machinery that perform many functions together to convert the metal into the desired blanks. Let’s take a look at some of the major components and their functions:

Uncoiler

Being an initial part of the coil blanking line, the uncoiler holds the metal coil and loosens it up in a controlled way. It feeds the coil into the resultant processing stages.

Straightener

The straightener takes the responsibility of removing any curvature from the coil. It also makes sure that the coil remains flat and perfectly aligned before taking entry into the cutting process.

Feeder

The feeder framework propels the flat metal coil through the line, situating it precisely for cutting. The feeder makes use of rollers, grippers, or belts to move the metal coil.

Leveler

The leveler flattens and levels the metal coil, ensuring uniform thickness and evenness across the whole surface. It can have different arrangements of flexible rollers to eliminate any leftover waviness or flaws.

Slitter

In some coil blanking lines, a slitting cycle might be incorporated to partition the wide metal coil into smaller strips. Slitters comprise round or straight sharp edges that make exact cuts along the width of the coil, delivering various smaller coils.

Blanking Press

The blanking press is the critical part of the line that cuts the metal coil into the wanted blanks. The press might be hydraulic, mechanical, or servo-driven, contingent upon the particular prerequisites and the ideal cutting accuracy. The blanking press works with a device and a set of dies, where the die characterizes the state of the blank.

Scrap Removal System

Different pieces of scraps and remnants are generated when the blanks are cut from the metal coil. An effective and efficient scrap removal system including a scrap conveyor or scrap chopper is installed on the floor not only to remove but also to dispose of the remnants from the line.

Stacker

The stacker is responsible for collecting the cut blanks and batching them in a well-organized manner. The stacker might have fully automated functioning or even robotic arms for the effective handling and stacking of blanks as per the requirements that include the height or orientation of the stack.

Control Framework

A coil blanking line integrates a refined control framework that monitors and facilitates the activity of the different parts. The control framework ensures exact synchronization of the line's exercises, directs feed rates, screens security protocols, and empowers operators to make changes and streamline production standards.

Coil blanking lines offer many benefits in the metalworking industry. Some of them include the following:

• High-speed production
• Consistent accuracy
• Improved material utilization, and
• Reduced labor requirements.

These lines are generally utilized in different areas, for example, automotive, manufacturing of appliances, construction, and sheet metalworking, where exact and productive blanking processes are fundamental. In a nutshell, a coil blanking line is an extremely sophisticated production system that converts flat metal coils into individual blanks or Tailor Welded Blanks via a series of various automated processes.

Tailor Welded Blanks

Tailor Welded Blanks are made making use of different sheets of metals including steel in a comprehensive range of thicknesses, strength levels, and coating options which are joined together through laser cutting methodology. This manufacturing process helps render an extremely flexible part design while making sure that the right kind of material is utilized in the right place. In highly stressed areas, the use of thicker or higher-strength material is made, whereas in other ones, the use of thinner sheets or deep drawing grades is made. Premium materials can be used only when there is an unavoidable need.

This targeted approach offers various advantages. Some of them include the following:

Cost Reduction

A huge reduction in cost is possible in parts production as the use of expensive materials can be made only when it is necessary.  

Reduced Weight

The weight of the parts can also be drastically reduced by making use of the right kind of material in the appropriate area.

Increased Strength

To increase structural as well as crash performance, higher-strength material can be utilized in highly stressed areas.

Some of the most salient advantages of tailored products

Apart from reduction in cost and weight, and increased performance,tailor welded blanks also offer a large number of advantages. Some of them include the following:

• Meet CAFE targets. They significantly contribute to reducing vehicle weight by 25% which finally results in a more than 20% reduction in fuel consumption
• They optimize crash performance via the use of materials that are of very high strength
• They bring down the costs associated with assembly lines and tooling by reducing the number of parts
• They also bring down the product design costs because of part consolidation
• They also make the elimination of overlapping joints possible by bringing improvement in corrosion behavior.

Concluding Remarks

A pioneer in sheet metal formation in India, Caparo’s Stamping Division specialises in providing complete steel and aluminium metal stamping solutions for a comprehensive range of applications. The company is backed by end-to-end capabilities to meet the sourcing requirements of OEMs for stamping components, sub-assemblies, and assemblies. The state-of-the-art facilities in the division include advanced Coil Blanking Lines with Laser Optic and Under-surface Inspection, Laser Cutting, Plasma Cutting, Press Brake, MIG, TIG, Spot and Projection welding. The Surface Treatment department includes facilities such as Shot Blasting, Powder Coating, advanced in-house CED Coating and PE Coating.

The company’s range of Skin Panels and Body-in-White (BIW) systems that it supplies to OEMs across all segments includes passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and off-highway segments include Skin Panels, Inner Panels and reinforcement, Suspension Systems, Chassis Assembly, Long Members, Tailor Welded Blanking, Customised Stampings, Door and Bumper assemblies, Oil pans, Fuel Tanks and other BIW parts.