Multi-purpose press offers more flexibility A multi-purpose hydraulic press features increased flexibility, higher availability and improved ease of service and performs drawing, embossing and general presswork. AP and T is introducing the Oden multi-purpose press, which features shorter installation times, increased flexibility, higher availability and improved ease of service. With Oden, AP and T is beginning a total renewal of the product line for hydraulic presses.

The generation shift also entails a switch to a new naming system for the products, with inspiration taken from Old Norse mythology.

Oden is available in five basic variants with press forces between 1,000 and 3,150kN and is designed for drawing, embossing, pressing and hydromechanical forming.

AP and T's primary goal during development work has been to design a press that creates increased productivity for customers in all phases.

APandT's unique modular design has been further refined to create a press with shorter production and installation times, longer service life and improved ease of service compared to before.

'We've examined all of our modules, such as electrical cabinets, frames, press beds, hydraulics, etc and developed an entirely new modular system with fewer but even more flexible modules,' said Bengt Walkin, technical manager at AP and T Press Systems.

The increased modularization provides shorter leadtimes in production for AP and T.

When the product is installed at a customer site, time is also minimized due to two smart solutions in the design of the frame.

Firstly, fewer frame parts have to be assembled onsite, and secondly, the control system's equipment cabinet is already bolted to the frame upon delivery.

'We know how much short lead and installation times mean to our customers and we know that the time they have available is decreasing.

Our Oden solutions permit customers to start production as quickly as possible,' said Walkin.

* New design means simpler service - Oden is based on a new design that gives the press a modern appearance.

The new design also provides improved accessibility to various components during service and maintenance.

'Higher availability is becoming increasingly important.

Having the right quality level for the product must be combined with minimal downtime.

The expanded capabilities for easily performing service and maintenance on Oden result in shorter downtimes,' saidWalkin.

* New operator terminal facilitates programming - the newly developed operator interface LOGOS has a very clear graphical interface that facilitates programming of the press's sequences and the entry of operating data.

The system is modularly designed, which makes it very easy to upgrade and adapt for new functions.

* Load-sensing hydraulics provide high flexibility - Oden is equipped with load-sensing hydraulics, which enable several cylinders to be activated simultaneously and even controlled independently of one another.

This entails very high flexibility in production for customers and also means more exact positioning and thereby higher quality than in a conventional system.

* High strength and long service life - frames and cylinders in Oden, as previously at AP and T, are designed using 'FEM analysis'.

The method entails that with the help of software, engineers can see an object's strong and weak points graphically and easily modify the design for optimal strength.

Moreover, the frame is welded in a single piece, which further contributes to high strength and consequently long service life.

* Oden - a part of AP and T's new naming system - with ODEN, AP and T is implementing its new naming system for hydraulic presses, which is based on names from Old Norse mythology.