Press

Reproducible and precise power progression, flexibility in application, service efficiency and utmost operational reliability must not exclude each other...

VEBO Werkstatt Olten – „Motivated and engaged“ – the name of the company and its slogan do not raise the presumption that the words „Motivation“ and „Engagement“ have here a very special meaning. Externally and internally it looks like other comparable industrial companies in Switzerland, but nevertheless VEBO Werkstatt Olten is a company belonging to another world. Or are we wrong? It depends how you look at it. VEBO was founded in 1964 as „Union for the integration of handicapped persons, Oensingen“, and was 1975 transformed into the association VEBO - Solothurnische Eingliederungsstätte für Behinderte Oensingen (VEBO – Soloturn’s integration place for handicapped persons Oensingen). This association has been supported by almost 1 400 communities, private persons and companies as associates. At present, VEBO gives work to more than 1200 handicapped persons, most of them with multiple disabilities, as well as more than 300 not handicapped specialists and executives. Thus VEBO numbers among the most important companies of the region. VEBO splits up into eight workshops all over the canton Solothurn, into two sections (living and technical service), into three sections (professional measures, social and commercial services) and the management. The social services of VEBO comprise integration measures including early intervention, professional measures, workshops, lodginghouses and one dayhome. The major part of the handicapped persons occupies the 800 workplaces of the workshops. The VEBO workshop Olten plays an important part. The above mentioned company slogan „Motivated and engaged“ is true in many senses of the word because here the handicapped persons are eager to work and have found a useful occupation, and the executives and specialists give them all the necessary support instructing and taking care of them.

Production services from machining up to assembly work

The workshop VEBO Olten is considered as a company found on the market and consequently it has to face the free market competition. Specialized in mechanics, assembly work and service, the fellow workers are – depending on their disability - employed in mechanic production, assembly work, in advancement groups or service. The company specially endeavours to employ the handicapped persons corresponding to their abilities and skills including, no doubt, a certain „advancement by requirement“. Mr. Armin Bieri, department head of mechanics in the VEBO workshop Olten said in this connection: „We offer our customers a complete program of technical performances, for example, the mounting of total assembly groups including component provision up to Kanban logistics of packed goods. Due to our motivated fellow workers, we can act as outsourcing partner also in case of time-consuming and complex assembly processes, and we are also equipped with the production and assembly features needed therefore“. It goes without saying that the machines and devices for such work must be specially suited for the use by handicapped persons. This becomes quite clear in the case of a newly acquired press system for punching, forming, and pressing-in. This new press system not only had to replace an old eccentric press but had to offer a high flexibility in application and use, best ergonomy, assure the promised productivity and, of course, come up to all relevant and special safety regulations. The investment was necessary to machine a Kanban-part for a good customer and to confection it thereafter to customer’s satisfaction with the aim to be honoured with additional orders thereafter. For Armin Bieri and his colleagues the realization of the project was not quite easy because they had no experience in this field and had to be thoroughly informed. At first they took interest in a press system based on a 40 t hydraulic press, but it was quite expensive and not very flexible. So they had to look for an alternative

The purchase of a press is a matter of confidence

During their search, they contacted TOX® PRESSOTECHNIK AG, CH-4460 Gelterkinden, where they received competent and objective advices. Armin Bieri said hereto: „at TOX® we felt to be on the right side from the very beginning because they intensively dealt with our requirements and special conditions. All discussions referred to the application without neglecting ergonomic and technical safety aspects. We fully trusted in TOX and placed the order with them, the more as the price of their press was very attractive. The press fulfills all our requirements and is equipped with safety units meeting and even exceeding our severe regulations.“ The VEBO Werkstatt Olten installed a TOX®-Press type CEB, consisting of press frame of C-shape, a pneumo-hydraulic drive system TOX®-Powerpackage EKSD and a base frame. Moreover the press is equipped with a safety control, a swivelling control panel and a pedal switch, protective sheathing and a safety light grid. For their universal use with most different tools, the throat of the C-frame press is 200 mm and the tool aperture 200 mm. The press drive, i.e. the pneumo-hydraulic Powerpackage cylinder TOX®-EKSD generates a maximum pressforce of 130 kN at 6 bar compressed air. The 100 mm total stroke of the cylinder and the real powerstroke of 10 mm make sure that the punching, forming or pressing-in/pressing position are attained at a very high speed and the pressforce stroke is realized in a sensitive way. In order to limit the strokes and reduce mechanic loads, the drive cylinder is provided with total stroke setting and damping of the cutting impact. The Powerpackage is, of course, equipped with the well tried power bypass. The C-frame press with its drive cylinder is mounted on a base frame which also supports the circuitry and the control technique as well as the protective sheathing with the safety light grille. On customer’s request, we have mounted the C-frame press off-center on the base frame so that also longer pieceparts (up to 500 mm) can be machined within the fully protected press area.

Productive, of flexible application, easy to retool and safe

The press control is coupled with the safety elements so that no bridging or other manipulations are possible. Usually the press is started by 2-hand actuation where both keys of the 2-hand control are pressed simultaneously during 0.5 seconds. Due to the protective sheathing and the above mentioned safety light grid, the press area is fully protected against the intervention of „third“ persons. In spite of several additional wishes and special safety requirements, we have succeeded in realizing the C-frame press system mainly from standard components taken from the TOX® construction kit, enjoying thus its influence on cost reduction. The résumé of Armin Bieri is as follows: „We feel fully confirmed in our decision for the press from TOX® PRESSOTECHNIK and are very satisfied. We use the press in a flexible way for punching or separating and produce on it 33 different types of C-profiles for our customer. We then mount slides in the profiles and the C-profile with slide completes sun protection units and revolving shutters. The length of the C-profiles is from 75 to 500 mm and they all can be machined within the protected press area. We produce thousands of them in batches and deliver the assembly groups daily or weekly in the Kanban system to our customer. At the moment, the press is set for this spectrum of parts but it can be quickly reset for other tools. A maximum of flexibility in application and use is assured. Working on the press is very easy and absolutely safe and after some brief instructions, our fellow workers are able to do their job.“