Patent US 4,633,720

A press control system monitors and is responsive to the loads associated with individual die stations in a progressive die. The system detects chipped, dull, or excessively loaded portions of the progressive die and provides automatic quality monitoring of the parts produced by the press. The system provides a display of press load as a function of time scaled by the speed of the press. The press load as a function of time is automatically analyzed to determine and display the number of die stations and the peak loads associated with each die station in the progressive die. The peak loads are compared to limit values that depend in part on the past history of the press in order to monitor the condition of the progressive die and if necessary to shut down the press. The number and quality of parts produced by the press are also determined from the peak loads. Gradual wear of the die is monitored to determined when sharpening is required. To detect anomalies at any phase in the press cycle, the press load is compared between successive cycles. A master/slave computer system is disclosed for monitoring and controlling multiple presses.