Record year of growth at FC Laser

Laser-cutting specialist FC Laser has announced a record year with 30% growth in the past 12 months. The Derby-based company is doing so well that it will move to larger and more eco-friendly premises by the end of 2017 to help satisfy customer demand.

FC Laser’s new 20,000 sq ft factory has already received planning approval and the foundations will be laid this month. The company expects to receive the keys in December and is arranging for a prominent figure to open the new site. An open day is planned for March 2018 at which visitors will be able to see FC Laser’s suite of Bystronic laser centres, including a new 10 kW machine capable of cutting 30 mm thick materials. In other news, FC Laser has also been taking on new staff. These include account manager Brett Armitage, new business account manager Ellie Miller and apprentice internal sales engineer Will Krafts.
For further information www.fclaser.co.uk

Strong demand for German machine tools

Orders received by the German machine tool industry in the first quarter of 2017 were 6% up on the previous year, reports the VDW. Domestic demand rose by 2%, while overseas orders grew by 8%. The latter figure was boosted by a high increase of 23% in orders for machine tools from European countries. The VDW also reports a 13% increase in metal-forming technology orders. This rise in demand came both from home and abroad. Machining equipment orders, however, which represent about 70% of the total, only rose by 3%.
For further information www.vdw.de

My Viet orders SMS cold mill

My Viet Industries has ordered a twin-stand reversing cold mill CCM (Compact Cold Mill) and a push-pull pickling line from SMS group’s Indian subsidiary Esmech Equipment. The new plants, installed at the Pho Noi A Industrial Park in the Hung Yen Province of south Hanoi, are scheduled to be put into operation in the autumn of 2017.

KYCR Coil Industries Ltd.

The CCM, in six-high design with CVCplus for strip profile, contour and flatness control, will be designed for an annual production capacity of 400,000 tons. The mill will roll low-carbon steel strip in widths of up to 1250 mm and minimum final gauges down to 0.15 mm. Maximum rolling speed will be 1400 m/min. High technology components, such as the bending block cassettes and the CVCplus shifting mechanism, will be supplied by SMS group from Germany.
For further information www.sms-group.com

Next-generation adaptive bending system

LVD has introduced its Synchro-Form adaptive bending technology. Synchro-Form automatically maintains angular consistency and the required geometric profile when handling, positioning and bending large parts with multiple bends, says the company, thus overcoming the problems of accumulative error and trial-and-error bending.

Synchro-Form uses a laser scanner and synchro modules to manipulate, position and measure each bend, relaying the digital information to the Touch-B control, which makes adjustments to part and ram position to achieve the correct profile. Variations are not accumulated but, instead, compensated with each bend step. According to LVD, even after multiple consecutive bends, the profile will be perfectly formed.
The system is an integrated feature of the company’s Synchro-Form series press brakes in models ranging from 320 tons by 4 m, up to 3000 tons by 14 m. It is also available in tandem, triple and quadruple configurations.
For further information www.lvdgroup.com

Industry 4.0 automated bending line

According to Gasparini, mass production can now turn flexible thanks to the introduction of its latest smart press brake, which connects to the rest of the factory. The machine’s circuits, its frame, and its key components are populated with sensors in order to extract a wealth of data. This kind of forming line represents the very first press brake compliant with Industry 4.0, says the company.

The machine makes it possible to get detailed statistics about all production phases, as well as the cycle time needed to make a specific product. As a result, users can know actual costs, eliminate bottlenecks and monitor errors or other process-related problems. Another advantage of this network of sensors is the potential to detect problematic working conditions, and address them with preventive maintenance. Faults and machine stops can therefore be reduced, solving failures before they become production outages.
Sensors also allow the material being bent to be parameterised, keeping dimensional and strength variation under control. Furthermore, the machine will manage spring-back accurately and in real time, minimising the need for samples and tests.
Another novel feature is integration with other elements of a ‘smart factory’. Different from machines of previous generations, this automated bending line can be interfaced with ERP, NAS, CAD and CAM systems. Users can perform remote uploads of bending programs and drawings. The press brake can be connected to laser cutters, automatic warehouses, welding lines and so on.
Gasparini will be showcasing its new automated bending line during an open house this week (12-13 May).
For further information www.gasparini.it