Yawei laser ideal for KelBie Engineering

KelBie Engineering specialises in designing and manufacturing stainless-steel commercial flue systems. The company recently opted to upgrade its plasma cutter to a fibre laser cutting machine. Press and Shear was on hand to help.

High-quality, high-specification flue products must meet the design parameters of various demanding environments.As such, KelBie Engineering needed a precision solution that could deliver high production standards.These standards cover a range of sheet-metal products and services, meaning any new machine needed to be diverse in its ability.
KelBie also offers a short lead-time service to the commercial market, so the machine needed to keep pace.

Having discussed these requirements in depth with experts at Press and Shear, it was decided that the best solution was to upgrade its plasma-cutting machine to a fibre laser cutterfrom Yawei.

The model selected was the Yawei HLB fibre laser 1530, which accommodates sheet sizes up to 1500 x 3000mm and features a 3 kW laser generator. Press and Shear recommended this laser profiling machine as it is cost-effective, with high productivity and low running costs.

Yawei is a brand already known for its quality. Features like the auto-focus cutting head of the HLB ensure a clean and quick cut every time, reports Press and Shear, helping maintain high levels of efficiency and flexibility.

By choosing to invest in the Yawei machine, KelBie also gained access to Press and Shear’s aftersales support. Most importantly, the company got a competitive price on the machine.
Having confidence in Press and Shear meant KelBie Engineering could be sure that the company made the right investment for its business.
For further information www.pressandshear.com

Mate shows latest fabricating solutions

At theEuroBLECH exhibition in Germanylate last year, US-headquartered Mate Precision Technologies demonstrated the features and benefits of its full line of solutions for punching, including the Mate QCT quick-change tooling line¬¬ and the Mate Versadie for better slitting of thick materials.

According to Mate, its QCT thick-turret tooling takes insert-style punching systems to a whole new level. The tool-less punch retention mechanism makes changing the punch insert a breeze: simply flip the durable latch to remove and snap the new insert into place. There are no tools to use, break or lose when changing the punch insert.

Mate Metric QCT is fully compatible with Mate’s Ultra family of guides and canisters, Mate’s Original Style guides, spring packs and Rapidset canisters. The punches are fully interchangeable with Amada NCT, NEX and Z-Tooling systems, as well as Wilson thick-turret metric punches. Also available are AMX QCT for Amada air-blow systems and MXC QCT for Wilson Series 90 systems.

The Versadie HD includes several proprietary design features for clamp-clearing solutions. First, there is no need to replace the entire die with replaceable die inserts. Versadie inserts allow for the greatest lengths currently available in the industry, up to 115.82mm for E Stations and 90.42mm for D Stations.

Versadie HD offers improved slitting in thicker materials that require more than 0.406mm total die clearance. The base incorporates a hat-die feature to withstand the punching of heavier materials. Notably, the die inserts are fully interchangeable with the standard Versadie.

For superior performance and longevity, all Versadie slitting die inserts are made from MPM82 tool steel. Designed for use in high-performance tooling systems, MPM82 is a high-speed, particle metallurgy steel intended to provide value and versatility in slitting operations.
For further information www.matetoolingsolutions.co.uk

Automated self-pierce riveting and studding

Robotics specialist FANUC has supported robot integrator DForce Engineering with the design and installation of two complete automation cells for aluminium underbody components for a prestigious automotive manufacturer.

Leicester-based DForce Engineering has a portfolio of blue-chip clients in the automotive, nuclear and aerospace industries. Among its key customers is Sertec Group, a worldwide business in the automotive sector. The relationship has evolved from jig and fixture design to manufacturing, planning and software design, to full system supply. For its latest project, DForce sought the robotics expertise of FANUC UK.

With the arrival of a new vehicle concept, DForce’s client Sertec required two complete automation cells for the self-pierce riveting (SPR) and self-pierce studding (SPS) of aluminium underbody components as four complete sub-assemblies for its UK automotive production line. At the heart of each cell was a FANUC robot.

Says DForce director Gary Hill:“FANUC robots are a benchmark in the automotive industry. They were a natural choice for this project.”

According to Hill, FANUC’s ROBOGUIDE system was essential to achieving a rapid turnaround: “ROBOGUIDE was used to simulate both the robot’s motion and its application commands, significantly reducing the creation of new motion set-ups. It enabled us to design, test and modify both cells entirely offline, before and during the assembly process.”

As well as reducing design time, DForce wanted to make cost and space savings too, as Hill explains: “We proposed using the larger of the cells with the addition of RH and LH self-pierce studded assembly parts, running three different assemblies through one cell by using a FANUC R2000iC robot. This essentially cut the cost, floor area and cycle times for Sertec by delivering two cells instead of three.”
For further information www.fanuc.eu

Sustainable solutions for waterjet operations

At the EuroBLECH show in Germany late last year, ConSus ANT presented the ConSus abrasive mixing unit, which now also enables continuous Water Abrasive Suspension (WAS) processes. In addition, the specialist for stationary waterjet cutting presented its new Abrasive Recycling Unit ARU (pictured) for energy-efficient, environmentally friendly recycling of abrasive.

The emergence of ever-new, challenging materials places high demands on users in the machining industry. ConSus ANT says that its abrasive mixing unit enables fast, precise and powerful cutting of all common materials in the continuous WAS process without any effects on the material or structure. Compared with the conventional Water Abrasive Injection System (WAIS) process, ConSus works up to three times faster and at less than half the pressure. These capabilities reduce time, energy and CO2 emissions. The WAS cutting jet consists only of water and abrasive, which ensures a significantly higher efficiency without turbulent mixing conditions, and leaves the cutting nozzle at almost twice the speed of sound.

Procuring, storing and disposing of cutting material is an important cost factor in industrial waterjet cutting. The Abrasive Recycling Unit (ARU) from ConSus ANT enables the processing and reuse of more than 100 kg of abrasive per hour with extremely low energy requirements. This capability enables users to increase the economic efficiency and sustainability of their processes significantly. The ARU is suitable for use with both WAIS and WAS processes. While WAIS requires the use of the ARU with a drying system for the recyclate, WAS allows the moist abrasive to be fed directly back into the cutting process. In conjunction with the ConSus abrasive mixing unit, a reuse rate of at least 80% of the abrasive is possible.
For further information www.consus-gmbh.com

Messner takes off with Messer MetalMaster 2.0

In 2020, right in the middle of the Covid-19pandemic, Michael Messner, entrepreneur and creative metalworker, dared to start over by founding MTM MetallTechnik Messner in Ragnitz near Graz. Messnerattributes part of his still-young success story to his CNC flame-cutting machine from Messer Cutting Systems.

Hehas a Messer MetalMaster 2.0, an economical CNC flame cutter that deliver full power from a compact footprint. Quick and easy to install and operate, the space-saving plasma cutter is an economical entry-level machine for plasma or oxy-fuel cutting, or both.

“The MetalMaster is very dynamic thanks to its lightweight construction,” says Messner.“In my opinion, it’s one of the fastest machines in the plasma product segment: its speed, accuracy, quality and versatility make it a solution that fits our needs perfectly.”

The purchase of the machine has increased both his overall market and his sales potential. With the support of the machine, Messner has significantly expanded his portfolio of services and components, which has led to greater customer satisfaction and numerous new clients.

“From planning to the finished product, we’re now much faster thanks to the CADCAM software OmniWin from Messer,” he says.“It is user-friendly, has suitable interfaces for importing from planning programs, enables error-tolerant operation and runs perfectly. I would definitely choose the complete package again.”

He adds: “If growth continues, I will consider investing in an additional laser machine from Messer Cutting Systems.”In doing so, he will continue to take quality and costs into account, and continue paying attention to service, advice and the availability of suppliers.
For further information https://uk.messer-cutting.com