Stemco announced an expansion of its manufacturing facility with a friction production plant will open in July. The “Friction Factory,” as Stemco is calling it, is designed to manufacture brake shoes and friction components for medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus applications, and is an expansion to Stemco’s existing facility in Rome, Ga.
At the heart of the new facility is a programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls all mixers, presses, ovens and machining equipment with real-time monitoring and recording of all operating parameters. The PLC dosing and mixing system eliminates potential errors and provides better production control. Pressing is then carried out in single block tooling, which ensures optimum material distribution, consistency of dimension and material density. This eliminates the deficiencies of a multi block slab process. Blocks are then cured in a continuous oven, which delivers consistent heat input and a consistent cure of each block. All dimensions are then measured using lasers for maximum accuracy and strict control of rivet hole positioning while maintaining depth.
