Orange County Choppers Presses Deeper Into Motorcycle Assembly
American TV viewers are very familiar with Orange County Choppers (OCC), a custom and production motorcycle manufacturer based in Newburgh, NY. Owners Paul Teutal Sr. and Jr., and the motorcycles they created, were chronicled on the reality TV show American Chopper from 2002 to 2012.
Many of the bikes featured on the show were built for celebrity or corporate customers, or built around a theme. For example, one of the most popular motorcycles is called The Fire Bike. It was designed by Teutal Jr. to honor the firefighters who died on 9/11.
Teutal Sr. began OCC in 1999 as a sideline to Orange County Ironworks LLC (OCI), a steel- and iron-fabrication business. OCI has been operating since the 1970s, and its components have been used in numerous commercial, industrial, office, retail, residential, and government projects.
Every custom bike made by OCC features an extensive amount of custom fabricated parts. Many standard-size parts are made with CNC lathes and mills, or Flow International waterjet machines. Large, thick parts are cut using an advanced waterjet machine. This equipment is complemented with motion and control systems from Rockwell Automation and Parker Hannifin.
OCC motorcycles also feature deep-drawn parts, although the company didn’t produce them in-house until several months ago. The benefit of deep drawing is material does not tear or wrinkle during fabrication. Parts are formed by a press from a sheet metal blank, and their depth exceeds diameter.
In September 2013, OCC installed a 350-ton hydraulic press to deep-draw tanks and fenders. Custom made by Beckwood Press Co., the press features four-axis parallelism control for precision and flexibility.
OCC also likes the machine’s hydraulic draw cushion, which allows the operator to dynamically vary the cushion force throughout the draw. This feature ensures consistent quality of parts, especially complex ones.
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The press provides full tonnage throughout the stroke, and an adjustable tonnage level to eliminate excessive ram movement and optimize cycle time. Relief valves in the hydraulic circuits provide built-in overload protection. Other features include a four-post frame that minimizes part deflection, and variable frequency drive for greater energy efficiency.
Beckwood makes standard and custom stand-alone presses with capacities from 2 tons to more than 2,000 tons. Users include automotive, construction equipment, electronics, aerospace, heavy machinery, medical device, plastics, lighting, transportation, waste management and mining manufacturers. The company also makes a DJ Series of benchtop presses with capacities from 3 tons to more than 40 tons.
For more information on deep-draw presses, call 800-737-0111 or visit www.beckwoodpress.com.
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