The best sensor programs are those led by a full-time sensor applications specialist with a varied set of toolroom experiences and a competent portfolio of machining skills. He does not necessarily have to have a full-blown tool-and-die-making background, but must have a strong precision-machining background. If you visit the metal-forming shops that follow this approach, you will see obvious and sometimes subtle die improvements that were implemented by such a sensor program leader or his equally competent assistants. Let's look at some examples. In today's hectic economy where shops with serious sensor programs are inheriting numerous dies, it becomes paramount to improve their ability to accept electronic sensors in a quick manner. Most of the inherited dies have very little idle time between their reception in the toolroom and their runs in the pressroom. Many of these takeover dies have little if any electronic sensors, and many have just a single whisker probe attached at the end of the die for short-feed detection. There are no stripper sensors in place for slug detection, nor sensors to monitor cam return nor sensors for part ejection - just a single wire whisker for feed monitoring.
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