Economic optimism

The Manufacturing Barometer, the largest survey of SME manufacturers in England, shows that the sector is bouncing back from the worst effects of COVID-19 with a degree of increased optimism around turnover, profits, jobs and investment.

Conducted by SWMAS (South West Manufacturing Advisory Service) and the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), the report reveals that 40% of those questioned are expecting future sales to increase, which is a massive improvement on the 9% who were predicting this outcome in the previous survey (in April).
For further information www.swmas.co.uk

New multi-blanking lines introduced

In sheet metal processing, ever greater flexibility of blanks is required for complex applications. Even with changing sheet thicknesses, demanding materials often have to be cut precisely and quickly. However, processing with separate cut-to-length and slitting lines is time-consuming and can only be carried out in several steps.

For this reason, Burghardt + Schmidt GmbH has developed multi-blanking systems that combine both work steps in a single run. As a result, even changing cut sizes can be carried out efficiently and with the highest quality in-house – without additional logistics costs. The systems enable a speed of up to 100 m/min with plug-in limits of over 1000 N/mm² and material strengths of over 1500 N/mm². Thanks to inspection measures, the new multi-blanking lines are particularly suitable for sensitive material surfaces such as stainless steel and aluminium strips.
“In order to avoid delays caused by external suppliers, many of our customers demand the integration of slitting shears into their cut-to-length lines in order to carry out a further work step in-house,” reports Thomas Baral, managing director of Burghardt + Schmidt. “Therefore, we have used the synergy effects of individual companies in the B+S group to develop flexible systems for these high-quality requirements.”
The B+S group multi-blanking lines combine a cut-to-length line with a slitting line and are designed for sheets with a material width of up to 2500 mm and a material thickness of 0.1 to 6.0 mm.
“Before the first cut, the coil is levelled and cut into longitudinal strips,” explains Baral. “These strips are then cut crosswise, resulting in up to five sheet blanks per segment in the desired length.”
For further information www.b-s-germany.de

Large press order for Yadon

Schuler’s Chinese subsidiary Yadon has received a major order from a central Asian household appliance manufacturer.

The order placed by the customer from Uzbekistan comprises a total of 17 C-frame, monoblock, tie-rod and high-speed presses for the production of heat exchanger plates used in air conditioning systems, as well as parts for washing machines, refrigerators, gas cookers and gas counters.
Yadon delivered the first two 630 tonne presses in less than four months after receipt of the order.
“Presses from each of our three product groups are represented in the order,” reports Liang Cheng, chief strategy officer at Yadon. “We have established a very good business relationship with the customer over the past few years. Such was the positive experience that it prompted the company to place this major order. In addition, we offer a much wider range of products at Yadon than many competitors in China.”
As Uzbekistan is difficult to reach by sea from Yadon’s headquarters in Yangzhou, eastern China, the two machines were transported to the customer by heavy goods vehicles. The Schuler subsidiary also set a speed record in the commissioning of the presses and automation: after just four weeks, production could start.
For further information www.schulergroup.com

Marking stainless steel made easy

Electrix International, a Bishop Auckland based manufacturer and stockist of stainless steel electrical enclosures and cable management systems, is exploiting the benefits of a new Trumpf TruMark Station 5000 laser-marking system.

The new machine has replaced a previous foil sticker to provide a fast, permanent way of marking and identifying products without compromising requirements for hygiene or corrosion resistance.
Stewart Beer, manufacturing manager at Electrix, says: “We tested a number of laser markers, but the TruMark Station 5000 stood out, not just for its performance in terms of speed and marking colour/tone, but for its user-friendly interface. This latter point became a decisive factor in the purchase.
We found a number of machines with a good laser head, but they lacked ease of use.”
For further information www.uk.trumpf.com

Industry 4.0 press- working solution

First shown last November at the Blechexpo 2019 exhibition in Stuttgart, a new Industry 4.0-ready system for automatically positioning and securing a tool on the ram of a power press and then feeding back production data has been launched in the UK and Ireland by Roemheld.

Flexline offers numerous configuration options for rapidly installing almost any tool on a variety of punching and forming presses. During operation, integrated sensors measure die or punch holding force and monitor it in real-time, allowing data to be transmitted continuously via an interface such as IO-Link to the press control.
Andreas Reich, head of quick die-clamping technology at Hilma-Roemheld in Germany says: “Many press operators like the fact that their systems can be digitalised and networked with little effort. Flexline is suitable for either factory installation or retrofitting. It is simple to operate and inexpensive to purchase, so is a practical, innovative solution that is readily accessible to manufacturers.”
Industry 4.0-ready clamps secure the upper punch or die on the ram of an automatic hydraulic press. The operator then has access to information concerning the actual holding force on the tool and is immediately able to detect unusual clamping and stripping forces during production, as well as tool overload, wear and breakage.
A continuous log of the retaining force simplifies error analysis and enables rapid problem-solving when servicing is required. This functionality facilitates predictive maintenance, helping to stabilise processes and avoid downtime.
Flexline is Industry 4.0-ready and has a modular design for mounting on the clamping edge or in the T-slot of the ram. With its double piston, a clamping stroke of 19 mm and travel speed of up to 150 mm/s, it is said to be suitable for many applications.
For further information www.roemheld.co.uk