KMF reaps benefit of panel bender upgrade

KMF has purchased a new P4lean-2516 Salvagnini panel bender (P4L) that uses 60% less electricity, saving the company an estimated £8000 a year.

Several upgrades are featured, including CLA-SIM auxiliary blade command, MAC 2.0 to calculate suitable bending trajectories and a patented bending formula which will automatically adjust a bend to any mechanical or thermal deformation. The machine complements an existing P4-2516 panel bender from Salvagnini that has provided more than 78,000 hours of working time for KMF to date.
The P4-2516 required 600 litres of oil, but new P4L machines use electronic actuators with only 13 litres of oil in total. All current P4L machines use touch-screen controls running on a Windows 10 platform. Moreover, the panel bending system is Industry 4.0-embedded, including the service support option of 24-hour machine monitoring to ensure all systems are working within tolerance.
“To provide an idea of efficiency and productivity levels on our panel bender, it is currently around 80%,” explains Pete Krynicki, programming and folding technician at KMF.
The Salvagnini machine can manufacture metal panels up to a maximum of 2500 mm long and form bends up to 165 mm high. A favoured feature is the panel bender’s interactive graphics programming, which will significantly decrease the task of KMF programmers with its intuitive programming and 3D simulation of different bending phases. The new panel bender also offers automatic tool changing and the ability to switch from one operation to another in a few seconds.
“As a metal fabrication subcontractor, being able to complete small and large batches without manual tool changes will significantly improve our speed of processing and flexibility,” adds Krynicki. “We also appreciate the personalised service, training and support on the panel benders that we get from Salvagnini – it is a real partnership.”
For further information www.salvagninigroup.com

Shape it clever with Gasparini

Due to reasons that are well documented across Europe, manufacturers are faced with a shortage of skilled operators, especially in the sheet metal-working sector. Operating a press brake requires a good dose of talent, imagination and experience.

Even when the operator is trained and able to work autonomously, bending remains an activity that is sometimes tiring and tedious. This is particularly the case with regard to tooling, which often requires the handling of expensive and heavy tools. As batch sizes decrease, the time taken to position tools is often the same as the production time, reducing profitability.
For all these reasons, Gasparini has developed Agile, an automatic tool change system for press brakes up to 640 tonnes and 8 m capacity that offers high levels of versatility and customisation options.
Until now, automatic tool changers have focused on speed and the elimination of tooling errors. Agile is said to be a versatile automatic tool changer that allows bending to transform from a bottleneck to a production hub, releasing time and resources for other tasks.
Agile facilitates bending with frequent tooling, complex set-ups and expensive, heavy tools. The system helps in the production of special parts, both for the most experienced operators and those undergoing training. Handling both punches and tool adapters, Agile allows users to bend boxes measuring up to 290 mm tall, even with large size press brakes.
The work area can also be customised with bespoke opening, stroke and throat dimensions. Tooling can cover the entire machine length, with no limits on the length or number of stations. In addition, the machine can be equipped with front supports and bending aids, while the storage facility accommodates long tools, and supports hemming dies.
For further information www.gasparini.com

XYZ trio at LG

A UK manufacturer of electro-mechanical motion control systems, LG Motion, has updated its in-house machining capability with the arrival of three machines from XYZ Machine Tools.

The investment includes two SMX 3500 ProtoTrak bed mills, which have been brought in to replace two older machines. The nature of the work is generally small batches and bespoke systems, so quick changeover is very important. Moreover, with their increased spindle-speed capability and ISO 40 taper connection, the bed mills are improving cycle times and component quality. A third machine, a ProTurn SLX 425 lathe will also target productivity improvements.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Tebis celebrates 35 years of trading

CADCAM specialist Tebis will celebrate 35 years of business with an open house at the company’s Munich facilities on 8-9 May 2019.

During the two-day event, Tebis together with technology partners, will present examples of end-to-end manufacturing processes and the latest advances in the company’s CADCAM and MES software. There will also be presentations by Tebis customers, practice-oriented presentations of new product development, discussions with Tebis consultants and implementers, and opportunities to network with experts and colleagues from many different industries.
For further information www.tebis.com

Guarding against inefficiency

One of the world’s most famous manufacturers of guarding for machinery, Procter Machine Safety, is benefiting from the performance and quality attributes of a newly installed Trumpf TruBend 5130 CNC press brake.

The machine has been acquired to increase bending capacity at the company’s 100-employee Caerphilly manufacturing plant, where it has been joined by Trumpf’s TruTops Boost programming software.
“To be honest, we assumed that Trumpf machines would be too expensive, so we initially discounted them for that reason,” says John Procter, the company’s director of machine safety. “Nevertheless, we arranged a visit and were not only impressed with the press brakes on offer, but the prices were cheaper than we envisaged.”
The TruBend 5130 offers features such as lower tool displacement and five-axis back-gauge functionality. Since installation, the machine has been set to work producing parts for machine guards made from mild steel, aluminium and stainless steel, typically from 1 to 5 mm in thickness. Many of the parts are made to order, so are either 1-offs or low in batch size.
“We like the bending aid,” states Procter. “This helps with lifting and has allowed us to increase efficiencies due to less man-hours being required on any given job. Ultimately we have been able to cut shifts by up to half. In addition, thanks to the capabilities of the Trumpf TruBend 5130, we can now bend parts that were previously not possible.”
In terms of tangible savings, the press brake has made a positive contribution to the company’s bottom line. “I would estimate that the machine is around 15% faster than our existing press brake capacity,” explains Procter. “In addition, we are enjoying labour cost savings, as well as benefiting from less human error, which in turn means reduced scrap.”
For further information www.trumpf.com