Expert Advice: Here Is Why You Should Always Use an Upender

Does your company use an upended to flip your dies or molds? Some think there is no need to have an upender (also called a die flipper, die tipper, etc.). After all, how difficult can it be to turn a die over – right? Well, as it turns out it is not as easy to do it properly as one might think. Many places still use an overhead crane for the process. The problem with this method is that it is very dangerous and very slow. The danger to your employees and the die only increases as the weight of the die or mold gets bigger. 

With the crane method, an overhead crane is used to pull the die or mold sideways to get it to the pivot point. Here is where the problems start. First of all, most cranes were never designed to do this. And you run the risk of destroying the crane. Secondly, when you get the pivot point (when the load is about to flip) that is the truly dangerous moment. The crane wire goes from taking up some of the load to taking the whole load within a fraction of a second. The action is similar to snapping a whip. The stress on the crane wire is incredible.  

Now up to this point, it is assumed that the worker has done everything 100% correctly. This means they have secured the die properly and that the connection to the crane is in the right location. If any mistakes have been made in this regard, the danger to the worker, and the die, exponentially increases.  So, the question is, why would you flip a die or mold this way? Why not use the right tool for the job – a die upender? 

Besides the dangers that exist in using a crane to flip a very heavy load, one also has to take under consideration productivity. If you add up all the time it takes to secure a die and then use a crane to flip it, you will see that this method is also very time consuming. A die upender can do the same job in about a quarter of the time, and it can do it safely, and consistently. And there will be one less thing to worry about.

In today’s business environment, worker safety and productivity are at the forefront of running a successful operation. A small change in your operation, like adding a die upender, can make a significant difference in your bottom line.  

Learn more about our full line is electric die upends here  https://metalpressmachinery.mx/cat/die-upenders/