FEATURE ON BENDING & FORMING

Alpha remains on track to double turnover

Alpha Manufacturing, one of the UK’s largest precision sheet metal fabricators, has acquired a TruBend Cell 7000 high-speed robotic bending cell from Trumpf. The investment helps keep the company on track to achieve its ‘2020 Vision’ – a five-year plan to double turnover by 2020.

“We have for some time admired the TruBend Cell 7000 from afar, but had resisted as all of our existing bending machines [press brakes] are from another supplier,” explains operations director Paul Clews. “However, with press brake skills becoming increasingly hard to source, we knew it made sense to look closely at more automated solutions. At first we considered press brakes with automatic tool changers, but these did not compare with the TruBend Cell 7000. In my opinion, there is nothing else like it on the market.”
Clews and his team performed due diligence on the TruBend Cell 7000 and found the company would have no problem filling three shifts, 24-7, so the purchase decision was made. The machine is now hard at work bending a multitude of different parts.
“In comparison with a standard press brake, we are achieving 30-40% more efficiency,” says Clews. “However, it’s also about the skill set available on the machine. We now have complete peace-of-mind that no parts will be bent incorrectly. Such has been its impact that in 12 months we may look at taking another. Machines like the TruBend Cell form part of our long-term vision to deskill and automate.”
For further information www.trumpf.com

Compact hybrid press brake

SafanDarley is adding a new machine to its Hybrid brake press range with a working length of 2050 mm. This model is available with a pressing force of 110 or 170 tonnes. According to the company, the machine is compact, fast and suitable for bending small, complex, thick sheet-metal parts.

Compared with traditional hydraulic brake presses, the introduction of the new machine significantly increases the pressing capacity for each available bending length. In turn, a wide range of possibilities are available for this machine concept. This brake press can, in fact, generate a pressing force of 110 and 170 tonnes across a bending length of approximately 2 m, making it suitable for companies with limited space. Furthermore, smaller, thick sheet-metal parts no longer have to be produced on excessively long brake presses, thus improving the efficiency and usability of the machinery.
The H Brake Hybrid is characterised by its novel hybrid concept; a combination of hydraulics and electronics. A servomotor with direct drive provides efficiency and speed, while hydraulics deliver the force and sustainability. The hybrid drive is only activated when the foot pedal is operated (the pump is stationary during the intervening period). Thanks to its dynamic Y axis, with approach and return speeds of 230 mm/sec, cycle times are achieved some 30% shorter than those of traditional hydraulic brake presses, says the company.
For further information www.safandarley.com

OKW is OK with Javelin MRP software

“We don’t do anything, anywhere in the business, without it being on Javelin.” Those are the words of Ian Cox, operations director at electronics housing manufacturer, OKW Enclosures Ltd.

“Javelin has played an absolutely vital role in getting the company to where it is today, and will remain crucial as we grow,” he adds. “As there are between 15,000 and 20,000 parts set up on Javelin across our five brands, we couldn’t run a business of this size without the information and control it gives us.”
The Fareham-based company has used Javelin and its forerunner, Jobshop, for more than 20 years, currently running the 2017 release.
“We updated our entire IT system in 2011, and now that we’ve also made a sea change to meet Javelin’s SQL database requirement, our philosophy is to work with the latest releases,” says Cox.
All shop-floor operations for manufacturing the company’s Metcase-brand enclosures are controlled with Javelin. The blanks are cut on two Murata Wiedermann CNC punch presses and then folded on Amada press brakes. Each part has a Javelin job card detailing every operation and drawing records. But before that stage, the software’s MRP system comes into play, providing precise control of all supply operations, addressing minimum stock levels and showing exactly what components need to be made.
Everything is also costed in Javelin, having been created on the system with a bill of materials and routing, which produces the standard costing.
“Modifications can be built
on to that, giving an accurate price for quotations,” says Cox. “And the standard costing is used in end-of-month stock and work-in-progress valuations.”
For further information www.javelin-mrp.com

Wemo reports record order for Rittal

German firm Rittal, a global manufacturer of control cabinets, is currently building the ‘factory of the future’ in Haiger. To this end, the company has placed a large order for a production line with Wemo worth “millions of euros”.

“The process begins with a stack of metal plates which our production line automatically feeds in, punches, corners-off and bends into a kit of parts that is then welded and painted by a third party to make a complete control cabinet,” explains Johan Lucas, commercial director at Wemo, which is represented in the UK by Press & Shear.
The fact that a leading German player such as Rittal – around €1bn in annual turnover plus factories on different continents – selected relatively compact Wemo in the Netherlands – “nearly 100 employees” – is significant because there are sufficient local and reputable machine manufacturers.
“As a builder and integrator of production lines for sheet metal working we deliver solutions for specific customer requirements which excel in terms of flexibility, speed and reliable technology, across their life cycle of up to 10-15 years,” says Lucas.
Rittal has in fact been a loyal and satisfied client of Wemo for many years.
“We have delivered lines for Rittal’s factories in America, among other places; and the next project is already in the pipeline,” says Lucas.
“As well as Rittal, we are very busy with other customers. For example, we have recently supplied complete lines, including assembly and welding, to Poland.”
For further information www.wemomachines.com

High-accuracy press brake from Haco Kingsland

According to Haco Kingsland, the company’s new PressMaster series hydraulic CNC press brakes feature the full integration of high-level machine, control, software, safety and tooling technology for the benefit of short set-up times, high part accuracy and safe operation without compromising productivity.

The Multi Touch FastBend MT Premium control offers automatic tool search during the part design process, along with instantaneous calculation of bending sequence and NC program. PressMaster press brakes can be optionally equipped with the company’s ‘Smart Tool Locator’ system, which indicates the correct tooling position as well as tools that are active during the bending process.
Lazersafe’s IRIS optical safety guard system guarantees safe operation, controlling the entire area around the top tooling and discontinuing the fast downward movement of the beam instantaneously when detecting any safety hazard in the protected area.
Further features include a new standard tooling system that is said to offer high accuracy and durability. Vertical loading together with novel self-seating and self-aligning characteristics work together to facilitate short set-up times.
The symbiosis of these technologies is designed to provide customers with flexible press brake operation offering short set-up times and components featuring ±0.1 mm dimensional and ±20’ angle precision tolerances.

For further information www.kingsland.com