FEATURE ON PROFILING

New cost-efficient laser cutting machine

LVD is introducing Puma, a new cost-efficient fibre laser cutting machine designed to provide high-technology features and performance at a lower total cost of ownership. Offered with a 3, 6 or 12 kW laser in 3050 x 1525, 4065 x 2035 and 6160 x 2035 mm formats, LVD says that its automation-ready Puma provides the agility to handle a diversity of cutting applications.

LVD’s latest laser cutting machine addresses growing demand for versatile laser cutting equipment built to maximise the value of a user’s investment and lower cost per part. Puma operates as economically as possible with high-end features that optimise cutting performance and robust construction to ensure reliable operation. The welded steel, mono-frame construction provides stability to achieve quality cutting at high feed rates.

Notably, the Puma cutting head incorporates crash protection, motorised focus position adjustment and capacitive height sensing, as well as automated functions for sheet referencing, cutting gas selection, pressure control and nozzle cleaning. High machine dynamics enables productive cutting across a wide range of material types and thicknesses.

Puma’s shuttle table system allows one table to be loaded or unloaded while cutting on the other, keeping throughput at its peak. Table changeover takes just 35 seconds.

To maximise laser cutting output and processing efficiency, Puma can be equipped or retrofitted with any MOVit modular automation system, including: the Compact Tower (CT-L) for loading, unloading and material/parts storage; the Flexible Automation (FA-L) advanced load/unload system; the Tower Automation System (TAS) for single or double-tower storage; or the Warehouse Automation System (WAS), a customisable storage tower system.
For further information www.lvdgroup.com

Kerf plasma cutting machine takes centre stage

As the name suggests, Serious Stages Ltd is a manufacturer of festival stages, temporary buildings, towers, arches, sports ramps and bespoke structures for the entertainment industry – an industry all but decimated by the pandemic. Fortunately for the Wells-based business, it found a new market sector that has exceeded all expectations, trebled growth and increased manufacturing demand. To fulfil this exponential rise in demand, the manufacturer has invested in an UltraSharp plasma cutting machine from Kerf Developments.

Fabrication workshop manager Rob Watts says: “Before the pandemic, we were considering a laser or plasma machine, as we were subbing-out over £500,000 of laser cutting each year. The pandemic halted the decision process, but back in March 2021 the movie industry got back to production and we won a substantial order for the next Mission Impossible film. This gave us the confidence to move forward. We looked at several options and then an industry contact suggested we spoke to Kerf. As a company with a complete range of plasma, waterjet and oxy-fuel cutting machines, Kerf recommended its RUR2500 UltraSharp plasma cutting machine with a Lincoln Electric Fineline 170, 170 amp plasma cutting system.”

He adds: “We are delighted with our new Kerf machine. From day one, the sales engineers were knowledgeable and interested in our business and applications; it wasn’t just about the sale. This duty-of-care has been carried through every step of the process and now the machine is installed, the service is unparalleled. From a production standpoint, the machine will pay back in less than two years and it will save us upward of £750,000 in subcontracting costs. It provides design freedom and efficiency, and it reduces our turnaround times and creates a synergy between the design office and production.”
For further information www.kerfdevelopments.com

Plug in, automated, non-contact measurement for cobots

The UK’s only fully traceable, automated non-contact gauging system is now available from RARUK Automation. Introduced as a plug and play accessory for the company’s e-Series range Universal Robot six-axis collaborative robot (cobot) arms, the Vectro-2 is the brainchild of Third Dimension, a company with a long track record of supplying non-contact optical measurement systems.

Vectro 2 enables automated 2D profile measurements to be taken quickly and accurately. The kit contains all the pre-configured hardware and software required for easy installation and rapid deployment. Measurement data can be used for inspection and quality control purposes or fed back to the production process for closed-loop control to minimise defects and waste.

The system can measure a variety of parameters: gap and flush, edge, radius, chamfer, angle and many other critical features in the manufacturing process. Thanks to the violet laser technology used in the Vectro 2’s new T-series sensor heads, it can be used on challenging surfaces such as high-gloss paint, glass, plastics, bare metal and fabrics.
RARUK Automation is the only UK distributor to hold platinum status, achieved through the depth of its technical expertise in identifying applications that can be successfully automated. The addition of Vectro 2 to its portfolio, significantly widens the scope of this work.

Through easy graphical programming, Vectro 2 makes it easy to create powerful, data-driven inspection and measurement processes that improve productivity. And, in line with all automation systems from RARUK Automation, Vectro 2 is system that can be applied in any manufacturing environment, from small start-ups to volume production.

RARUK Automation and Vectro 2 can be seen later this week at the North East Automotive Expo 2022 (stand B29) on 29 September at the Beacon of Light, Sunderland.
For further information www.rarukautomation.com

Transforming operations with Lantek

Lantek, a specialist in sheet-metal manufacturing software, demonstrated how working with an industry specialist provides the ability to automate and control the whole business by analysing machinery and customer KPIs through factory digitalisation in partnership with engineers who really understand the industry. Visitors to the company’s stand at the BIEMH 2022 exhibition in Bilbao last month were able to discover this for themselves.

Lantek has 28,000 clients worldwide, using its Expert software to drive their CNC machinery. Internationally, the company has seen a 25% increase in its digitalisation business as companies realise how much difference starting on the path to a smart factory can make to profitability and efficiency. In the UK alone, 2021 saw a record turnover of over €1m and a significant rise in interest in KPI analysis and digitalisation.

Lantek presented the latest version of the suite at BIEMH, launched during the past year under its Global Release 2021. With this update, the company continues with its commitment to offer clients and distributors advanced and flexible solutions for the sheet-metal market, helping them on the path to digital transformation.

The Lantek Expert and Lantek Flex3d CADCAM solutions give companies the ability to create CNC programs automatically for virtually every sheet-metal machine on the market, while its nesting software ensures maximum material utilisation. Building on the technology and capabilities of this software, companies can start by adding smart modules to generate quotations for customers quickly and accurately. They can then move on to Lantek MES, which keeps track of scheduling and machine OEE, and then to Lantek’s cloud-based analytics software, which will help them to understand the KPIs that are important for both customer and manufacturing management.
For further information www.lantek.com

LVD shows full-featured tube laser

LVD showcased its TL 8525, the most advanced tube laser cutting machine in its TL series, at the recent Tube 2022 exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany. The company says that its TL 8525 opens the door to a world of versatile tube and profile processing with optimised features, including 45° 3D tilt-axis cutting head, six-position front loader, wide X-axis cutting range, and the ability to cut tubes up to 8500 mm long (up to 3000 mm long and 250 mm diameter).

Built for high productivity, the TL 8525 can accommodate a broad range of applications, including complex, large and heavy tubes. The 400 mm Z axis efficiently handles the processing of larger profiles. Notably, the machine maintains the compact footprint of other TL models and offers the advantage of accessibility on all sides. AS loading and unloading is handled on one side, the machine can fit into a small space or against a wall.

LVD’s 45° 3D tilt-cutting head delivers high-precision bevel cutting and is suitable for weld-preparation cuts in thick-walled tubes, while the front loader loads up to six tubes and offers six positions for up to 250 mm tubes. The 1190 mm X-axis cutting-head range permits processing along a greater length of the tube, wasting less material to make tube cutting more productive and profitable.

Automatic tube loading, automatic tube centring, and automatic set up and adjustment of the chuck and steady rest, offer highly automated, reliable operation.

The TL 8525 comes equipped with a 2 kW fibre laser source, although a 4 kW laser is available as an option.
For further information www.lvdgroup.com