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

Recol Engineering Ltd, a Northampton-based subcontract supplier of complete metal-based manufacturing solutions, has installed an Amada HG-1003ATC (Automatic Tool Changer) automated press brake to facilitate its current period of sustained growth.

Indeed, the company’s continuous programme of ongoing investment in the latest manufacturing technologies has never been healthier, as evidenced by Recol’s commitment to automated manufacturing solutions. As part of a total spend close to £2m, investment in the press brake was complemented by an order for an automated ACIES2515TAJ 4 kW fibre laser.
To support the laser, Recol has also ordered an Amada AS-ULS-NTK double-tower system with 30-tonne capacity. The system provides 10 raw material shelves and five finished component shelves. Some 72 hours of unmanned operations give true lights-out weekend production.
“We want to leverage the full effect of the available automation so that we have no reliance on labour,” says director Ben Guntrip. “The buffer of the store makes for a very lean operating concept, which in turn means we can control material diversity across our machines.”
While the automated fibre laser will be delivered early this year, the Amada HG-1003ATC automated press brake was installed in November 2018.
“In total we are investing close to £2m to ensure that Recol retains its market-leading position,” concludes Guntrip. “However, the new Amada fibre laser and press brake are not just about gaining extra capacity, they are about process efficiency, reducing lead-time and ensuring we are not reliant on certain machines. Pure and simple,
we are futureproofing our business.”
For further information www.amada.co.uk