Reliable partner and supplier for companies operating in demanding and competitive sectors such as automotive and industrialized building, I.M.A. Industria Meccanica di Arosio SpA has increased its production capacity by installing a new Oti Transfer Press with 800 ton slow motion.
To realize also in co-design and/or co-engineering with the customer complex components and assemblies, of small-medium dimensions, mainly in stainless steel, moulded in millions of pieces, where required with accurate ultrasonic cleaning technology, and eventually also welded and assembled. This is an example of a typical supply managed by I.M.A. Industria Meccanica di Arosio, a qualified partner for the sheet metal working of important national and international customers, actsvi in various sectors including automotive and industrialized construction.
“For the automotive sector – explains the CEO, Ing. Luca Redaelli – we count among our customers companies at the first level of the supply chain of vehicle manufacturers, for which we manufacture exemplary moulds , always withine us, of components for turbochargers, car locks, as well as elements for the whole “power-train” part. In the industrialised construction sector we serve customers specialising in fastenings and fire safety systems. In addition to these, there are also other supplies for the furnishing sector to companies operating worldwide in the office contract sector. We also supply companies in the fields of technical articles for the general industry, household appliances and sports equipment”.
Common and transversal element in the various sectors remains in any case the complexity of the pieces, of various types and uses, ranging from assembled assemblies (even up to 80 components) to simple precision veneers in thicknesses that, depending on requirements, vary from 0.25 to 8 mm. In this context they merge together: know-how, competence, and innovative approach guide in I.M.A. the use of a wide portfolio of technologies inside the company.
“For the blanking- says Eng. Redaelli – we have more than fifty presses, with tonnages from 20 to 800 tons, several robotic Mig/Mag and laser welding lines, as well as specific fully automated lines totally developed in-house for the assembly phases”.
Among the above mentioned presses there are also three machines designed and manufactured by Oti Presse di Desio (MI), one of which is a high performance 800 tons, complete with Di.Gi.Emme electronic transfer.
Better quality during moulding
“The need to integrate the 800 ton Oti press – observes Eng. Redaelli – responds to the requests made especially by the automotive sector, that is to have a backup system for some productions considered critical, to give continuity even in case of temporary stops”.
This is the reason why the machine was ordered, with a fairly large worktop, typical for some orders for the automotive world, with moulds up to 2.5 m in length but which have to respond to very high precision.
“Currently – continues Ing. Redaelli – the machine is in continuous production with a mold for the base of a heat sink for microprocessor-controlled car changeover. A component characterized by an important realization that must satisfy a flatness of 7 cents”.
precision and the best quality during the moulding phase are guaranteed by the slowed down movement, i.e. the “Lever Drive” system, of the transfer press designed by Oti Presse and complete with Di.Gi.Emme electronic transfer with 3,000 x 1,500 mm worktable and adjustable stroke up to 300 mm. In fact, presses with slowdown allow to reduce the speed of the slide before contact with the sheet metal, bringing significant advantages: better quality of the punched/buttered product; increased productivity with parts that require a slow impact due to the formation of burrs or stretches on the material; longer tool life; reduction of noise and vibrations with consequent possibility of increasing the number of cycles per minute.
Substantial increase in productivity
As already mentioned, in I.M.A. there are three presses supplied by Oti Presse. In addition to the 800-ton press there are two other machines designed and built by the manufacturer: a 300 ton press, a 2,100 x 1,000 mm worktable with automatic stroke change 20-300 mm capable of delivering 20 – 75 strokes per minute. Also this press has the Di.Gi.Emme electronic transfer; finally we have installed a press, the last press installed in order of time, with power of 120 tons, with fixed stroke 30 mm, with 30 – 230 strokes per minute, with rapid opening of the slide of 80 mm to allow the inspection of the mould.
“A press, this last one – emphasizes Eng. Redaelli – very compact, designed specifically for a type of product intended for the industrialized building market. I refer to the drawing with a 9-figure mould of a sort of washer that has the particularity of having the punching of the internal hole from bottom to top. This is so that the washer itself has no burrs in the part where it rests”.
A washer that in 15 years has been produced by I.M.A. in 1.5 billion pieces.
“Compared to the production carried out on the previous press – notes the same Eng. Redaelli – today with the 220 strokes guaranteed by the new Oti Presse machine, we have practically doubled the process, i.e. halved the time, being able to reach 200 million washers printed per year”.
Satisfied with the presses supplied by Oti Presse, the company also greatly appreciated the manufacturer’s willingness and ability to understand the precise technical requirements, sometimes proposing itself with non-standard and unconventional solutions.
“I think it is far from obvious,” confirms Eng. Redaelli – the willingness to be able to adequately size the 800 ton press to provide the required performance, while at the same time being able to contain the footprint according to our height spaces. Therefore, the entire structure is also custom-made. Equally fundamental and appreciated is the rapid assistance and support in case of maintenance or in case of sudden anomalies, which are very rare despite the years and the intense and continuous operation”.
Quality at the highest level
All technological and production processes are managed in I.M.A. according to the requirements of the IATF 16949 automotive technical specification, i.e. with a quality of process and product that is a “synergic must” that accompanies every order: from the initial feasibility analysis to the presentation of the offer, from the realization of the equipment to the moulding.
“In this – observes Eng. Redaelli – the advanced simulation and management software we are equipped with also play a fundamental role and help us to reach the 4.0 phase ever closer”.
The new presses acquired by Oti Presse are also networked, for an evolved production control according to the terms required by Industria 4.0, but the company has already developed its own operating methodology oriented towards efficiency and greater competitiveness for many years.
“Let’s try to leverage all those elements – concludes Eng. Redaelli – that can differentiate us in the market, make us more and more competitive. The attention to quality is also very useful. The quality of the printed product is confirmed by our department where the most varied dimensional parameters, resistance, tensile strength, etc. are tested. It must be underlined that also last year we managed to maintain the limit of 3 ppm, that is 3 non-compliant parts per million delivered, which for the sheet metal world represents a very demanding and challenging target”.
Attention must be paid to quality which involves not only the blanking phase but also the subsequent stages such as assembly and possible washing. In this regard I.M.A. also boasts a laboratory dedicated to the analysis of component cleaning. The new requirements for products used in the motor industry are becoming more and more demanding. This is why not only adequate cleaning technology is needed, but also control procedures to confirm whether purity levels are as expected. Cleaning that the company guarantees up to 200 microns with three high-performance ultrasonic cleaning machines.
Company history Overview
I.M.A. Industria Meccanica di Arosio SpA is a company with a total of 240 employees in Italy and abroad, with headquarters in Arosio (CO). Born in 1973 from the merger of two mechanical companies founded in the 50s by Corrado Bertelè, father of the current president, ing. Giuseppe Bertelè was originally involved in the production of mechanical parts for the textile and sports sector. With this background, the company has grown over time to become, to date, a reference partner in the construction and supply of complex metal, metal-plastic parts for various sectors. Among these, the most representative is the automotive sector which covers about 60% of the turnover, followed by the industrialized building sector and industrial applications of various technical articles. In addition to blanking, I.M.A. is specialized in processes such as robotic welding and manual, automatic and semi-automatic assemblies. Since 2006 the company has also opened a production branch in Romania, IMA.RO srl, a 100% owned subsidiary. ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 certified, with the aim of also obtaining ISO 14001 certification, the company boasts a total production area of 14,000 square meters where just over 100 employees work in Italy and 140 at the site in Romania, for a global turnover of about 35 million euros.
More than half a century in moulding
Oti Presse, Officine Tecnomeccaniche italiane, has been operating in the moulding sector for over fifty years. The company, recognized and appreciated both in the domestic market and beyond, has been able to build over time a business based on a flexible and dynamic approach. This working methodology, together with the continuous commitment to maintain a high-quality standard in the production sector, has thus enabled it to offer itself as a qualified partner to an increasingly wider customer portfolio. With an increasingly international footprint, with an installed base of sheet metal stamping presses, blanking, coining, and drawing presses now present in various parts of the world, including Turkey, Korea, Kazakhstan and Mexico. Challenging and qualifying international borders, in continuous development and expansion, which confirm the deep know-how and skills acquired. Quality of product, service and support, made available to the market also in partnership with Di.Gi.Emme, for the realization of high-performance transfer presses, which can be integrated in complete turnkey systems, such as those installed over time in I.M.A. Arosio Mechanical Industry.
