China’s Feintool Group (www.feintool.com) has ordered a high-speed press from Schuler (www.schulergroup.com) for the manufacture of interlocked electric-motor cores.

Because the geometry of the laminations used in these cores has become increasingly complex, the Smartline EV 3.8 press features a longer table than standard to accommodate the necessary additional blanking operations.

The press is being produced in Dalian, China; it will be shipped to Feintool’s recently opened production site in Taicang this summer.

The Smartline EV 3.8 can process strip up to 600mm wide and with material thicknesses down to 0.2mm.

Schuler has developed a penetration depth control system that is designed to provide ‘perfect positioning of the slide, along with repeat accuracy’.

As a result, the die lifetime can be increased by up to 30%.

The machine can run at speeds up to 250 strokes per min with the full press force of 3,150kN and a maximum upper die weight of four tonnes.

Furthermore, the design and operation of the press is such that there is no need for a special foundation.

With its acquisition of the German company Stanz- und LaserTechnik Jessen GmbH (in June 2018), Feintool Group expanded its areas of business (alongside fine blanking and forming) by developing the market for electric-vehicle components and giving it direct access to the world’s biggest EV market — China.