Multi-Coupling Plates: Single Movement Improves Tool Changeover Times

A wide range of quick release connectors are assembled on various tools and machinery to provide connection to hydraulics, pneumatics, water, or other types of fluid power. Hydraulic quick couplings and adapters provide power to diverse markets and applications such as automotive manufacturing, industrial equipment, mobile equipment, railway, oil and gas and many others. Maintaining reliable and leak-free connections with quality quick release couplings is key to many of these industries meeting productivity goals and safety standards.

Multi-coupling plates provide the single most significant improvement to reduce tooling changeover times, while providing many other benefits.

Custom Multi-Coupling Plate Parameters and Development

Multi-coupling plates provide benefits to many diverse applications such as providing quick connect and release on hydraulic injection molding presses or die casting operations. Stucchi offers various multi-plate solutions for hydraulics, pneumatics and other media custom designed to meet your specific application requirements and always aimed to improve your performance, equipment uptime, and safety. Our hydraulic specialists take the time to partner with our customers to consider all critical parameters including:

 

●       Equipment and application

●       Environmental considerations

●       Non-spill or leak-free requirements

●       Type of fluid or media

●       Type of hose and valving system

●       Frequency of connection and disconnection

●       Method of connection

●       Electrical connection requirements

 Stucchi designs and manufactures specific multi-coupling plate solutions based on your application and performance needs. Our multi-coupling plates are proven in many applications to significantly improve tool and die exchange time, helping automotive manufacturers to meet Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) goals with a reduction in changeover time as significant as six full minutes. This case study explains more benefits provided to this 2^nd tier automotive supplier which included additional capacity and business.

Benefits of Multi-Coupling Plates in Manufacturing

The benefits of connecting and disconnecting multiple lines at once are significant and drastically improve efficiency during machinery and equipment maintenance and tooling changeover times. Many automotive suppliers operate with just-in-time practices and must meet production demands quickly for immediate shipping with little time in inventory. The automotive industry demands suppliers with lean practices and a focus on continual improvement in all processes.

Reducing tooling changeover time significantly improves equipment uptime, overall capacity, and productivity, all leading to a more efficient and profitable operation. Stucchi’s multi-plates are proven to drastically improve injection molding processes as well as die casting operations with efficient tooling changeover times.

In addition to significant time saved, multi-plates improve safety by eliminating cross connection of lines. Stucchi’s multi-plates combined with our leak-free, easy to connect under pressure quick couplings improve operator safety while preventing leaks on the shop floor or to the environment.

Multi-coupling plates with Stucchi’s leak-free connectors provide many benefits such as:

 

●       Significant time saved in tooling changeover

●       Improved equipment uptime with reduced maintenance

●       Increased safety with elimination of cross connection

●       Environmental protection with no spill connections

Stucchi Multi-Coupling Plates: Quick and Safe Changeover

Stucchi assists manufacturers of all sizes including automotive OEMs and suppliers to improve tooling changeover time with quality and efficient quick connect products. We provide specific solutions that increase efficiencies, safety, and equipment performance.  The GRE Series helps manufacturers with quick connect and disconnect of 4 to 18 lines in the same diameter with different media including water, air, oil and/or electrical lines.

Our multi-coupling plates and couplers are helping manufacturers to meet automotive manufacturers injection molding and die casting requirements, with improved productivity and safety.

Stucchi has been providing hydraulic solutions for more than 60 years, with a wide range of quick couplings, adapters, and custom engineered quick connect solutions.  We custom design your quick connect products to meet your unique specifications and solve current fluid transfer or quick release problems. Contact us to learn more about improving your productivity with quicker tooling changeover utilizing Stucchi’s multi-coupling plates.

This article was previously published at: https://www.stucchiusa.com/blog/multi-coupling-plates-single-movement-improves-tool-changeover-times/

 

 

Hydraulic Multi-Coupling Plates Video Shows the Benefits

Maintaining hydraulic equipment with multiple hydraulic lines can be time-consuming to quick release and quick connect many lines for maintenance or tool changeovers. Any time that operators need to connect or disconnect multiple fluid lines there is room for human error. Cross connection can lead to contamination or fluid leaks, which can cause equipment damage or failure, safety issues and unplanned downtime.

There is a better solution with multi-coupling plates. Multi-coupling plates allow for quick and efficient connection and disconnection of multiple fluid lines. Stucchi offers various multi-coupling plates to provide a streamlined solution to a wide range industries and applications.  Our multi-coupling plates provide a streamlined solution to quick connect or disconnect multiple lines with one connection point and one simple movement.  

Our multi-coupling plates include:

 

●       DP - 2 to 4 hydraulic and/or electrical lines

●       GR – 2 to 10 hydraulic and/or electrical lines

●       GRE – 4 to 18 lines of the same diameter with different media, water, air, oil or electrical

●       SV2 – 2 large diameter lines

●       BM3 – 2 large diameter hydraulic lines

●       One position plate – large diameter lines

Stucchi’s hydraulic specialists can help you determine the multi-coupling plate that best suits your equipment and application.  

GR Series Multi-Coupling Plate

Stucchi’s GR series multi-coupling plate allows for the quick connect or quick release of up to 10 hydraulic and/or electrical lines with one simple movement.  Watch this quick video demonstration of how easy it is to quick connect and quick release multiple lines with the GR multi-coupling plate. The GR series benefits many types of equipment across various industries such as mobile equipment, agricultural equipment, industrial machinery, and the oil and gas industry.  The GR series in Stucchi’s multi-coupling plates significantly improve efficiency and safety anywhere multiple lines are used.

The GR series prevents cross matching of hoses, connecting multiple lines at once with precise, exact connections. Our flat face quick couplers provide quick and easy connection under pressure with better flow characteristics. The GR multi-plate includes a fixed half which is normally mounted to the machine, a mobile half which attaches to the work tool or the implement, a parking station, and protective caps.

It is easy to connect the multi-coupling plate by just pulling the trigger on the fixed half to unlock the handle and removing the protective cap.  Remove the mobile half from your docking station, algin the pins to the fixed half, pull the locking trigger again to release the handle and actuate the handle until it clicks into place.  The click indicates that the connection is fully made.  Follow these steps in reverse order to disconnect and always replace the protective cap over the couplers when the mobile half is in the docking station.

Benefits of the GR Multi-Coupling Plate

The GR multi-coupling plate provides many benefits which significantly improve efficiency and safety. Stucchi’s GR multi-coupling plate provides:

 

●       Simultaneous connection and disconnection of up to 10 hydraulic and/or electrical lines

●       Quick connect and release multiple lines with one single, simple movement requiring minimal force

●       Auto locking design prevents accidental disconnection

●       Ideal where cross connection causes downtime or damage, when connecting with residual pressure and when leak-free connections are required

●       Circuit lines can have different media and the same or different size couplers.

 Stucchi is recognized worldwide for providing hydraulic solutions, with a wide selection of quality hydraulic couplers and quick coupling solutions such as our multi-coupling plates. Our hydraulic specialists provide personalized technical assistance and customized product solutions with couplers and adapters to meet your needs. Contact us to learn more about our multi-coupling plates and with any questions on improving your hydraulic application.

 This article was previously published at: https://www.stucchiusa.com/blog/hydraulic-multi-coupling-plates-video-shows-the-benefits/