Ram Redesign Case Study

How To Improve High-Speed Can Making Machines - A Case Sudy In Engineering With Composites

Can making equipment is nothing if not specialized. Yet the subsystems found on these machines offer a number of design lessons that can be applied more broadly by any engineer working to improve the performance and reliability of high-speed equipment.

In this design case study, we detail the improvements made to the cam-driven ram actuators found on a can line's necking stations. Initially, the motivation for the redesign was the complete elimination of expensive lubrication procedures and systems. In the process of getting rid of the lubrication, we also discovered some secondary benefits:

• Reduced wear, doubling the life of the ram.
• Improved productivity by increasing operating speeds.
• Lower energy consumption, reducing operating costs