Following the installation of a Trumpf TruLaser Cell 5030 five-axis CNC laser-profiling machine, the first such model in the UK, GF Laser is enjoying the flexibility afforded by a system that can switch quickly and easily between 3D and 2D cutting to suit workload requirements. The machine has also provided a further boost to throughput speed at the company’s Dudley headquarters and manufacturing centre.

“Since installation, the TruLaser Cell 5030 has been busy processing a multitude of different parts,” states director Simon Tregillus. “Not only have we been using it as a five-axis machine for profiling 3D components, we’ve also used it extensively for flat-bed cutting, which was one of the main reasons behind its selection. It’s been doing everything from the trimming of automotive pressings, spinnings and extrusions, through to components for the fire-retarding industry. The machine has probably been in five-axis configuration 60% of the time, reverting to flat-bed format for the remaining 40% whenever we reach capacity on our existing trio of Trumpf 2D laser cutters.”
On a regular basis, the 4kW Trumpf TruLaser Cell 5030 is processing parts from materials that include mild, galvanised and stainless steel, as well as aluminium. The company is also using the machine to profile pressings and spinnings made from yellow metals such as copper and brass. Unlike laser cutters based on CO2 technology, the fibre-based TruLaser Cell 5030 has no such issues with these reflective materials. The machine, which offers a bed size of 3000 x 1500 mm, also processes formed and straight tube, as well as box and angle section.

“Most of the parts we process on the TruLaser Cell 5030 are up to 5 mm in thickness, while typical batch sizes are circa 500,” says Tregillus.

For further information
www.uk.trumpf.com

Before investing in Radan CADCAM software, creating manual nests at Kansas-based Tindle Construction Inc (TCI) took the sheet-metal fabricator several hours, meaning shop-floor personnel moved on to other tasks while the nests were generated. But now a day’s worth of nests are produced in just a couple of minutes.

“This makes a huge difference to us,” states engineering manager Jesse McGinnis. “We have an employee who only programs for half the day, freeing him up to spend the rest of his time on engineering projects. Because of what we’re able to do with Radan, it’s not necessary to have anyone generating nests full time anymore.”

Operating across two divisions – Industrial Services and Fabrication – the company manufactures products for a variety of customers, while also offering design and planning services.

“We have several machines with a lot of different capabilities, and combining those is like playing chess,” says McGinnis. “It’s interesting to see what we can come up with to get the job done, and that’s definitely a challenge I enjoy.”

McGinnis was recruited by TCI specifically for the fabrication side of the business and was tasked with hand-programming the company’s latest laser. TCI eventually invested in a CNC programming solution for the laser, but over time found that the system was significantly limited in efficiency and flexibility. After investigating all options for implementing a new sheet-metal solution, TCI made the switch to Radan.

“I felt like Radan was a better fit for us,” says McGinnis, who also uses the software to program TCI’s waterjet. “We wouldn’t be as efficient as we are without Radan’s nesting and the system’s ability to do what we need.”

Unlike many other solutions for sheet metal, he says Radan also allows the company to edit automatically generated nests.

For further information
www.radan.com

LVD has introduced MOVit, a range of automation systems that includes TAS (Tower Automation System) and WAS (Warehouse Automation System) options for LVD Phoenix and Electra laser-cutting machines. MOVit systems also include LVD’s Compact Tower (CT-L), Flexible Automation (FA-L) and Load-Assist (LA).

MOVit TAS is a single or double tower storage system that can be integrated with up to two laser-cutting machines. This tower system offers 16 different configurations available for 3015, 4020 and 6020 laser machine formats.
Also new is MOVit WAS, which offers a custom number of towers beginning at a minimum of three, in single or double-row configurations. Each pallet has a capacity of 3 or 5 tonnes, and a stack height of 90 mm. Multiple laser-cutting machines can be connected to the system using integrated load/unload devices, while output stations can be added to deliver cut sheets to a sorting area or sorted parts to other machines such as press brakes. WAS is available for 3015 and 4020 laser machine formats.
Both TAS and WAS offer the option for unloading directly on the machine(s). Cut sheets are unloaded on a third table where parts can be sorted and made available for additional processing.
The automation systems feature highly customisable configurations that are designed to keep material flow continuous, production uninterrupted, and sheets and parts organised efficiently. Standard TAS and WAS configurations allow for
full lights-out production as finished sheets are returned to available storage.
For further information www.lvdgroup.com

The Laser Cutting Co (TLCC) has taken delivery of a new Trumpf TruLaser Tube 7000 at its Sheffield facility.

This customer-focused supplier of subcontract laser cutting services will use the machine, which is currently being commissioned, to achieve further growth as part of its progressive five-year plan. Moreover, with TLCC already producing flat sheet-metal ventilator parts as part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the new TruLaser Tube is helping the company bid competitively for tube-based parts needed for the same purpose.
“We’re heavily focussed on processing innovative tube design, so our investment in the Trumpf TruLaser Tube 7000 will further enhance our capability and capacity in this area,” says director Charlie Day. “Although we’re a subcontractor, our customer slogan is ‘your partner in production’, where we can add considerable value at the design stage. The Trumpf machine will support our efforts in this area, particularly with six-axis 3D cutting and the flow drill and tapping attachment.”
Smart Design Production is the value-added aspect of TLCC’s business, an initiative that has seen the company deliver production cost savings for customers of up to 50% in some instances. Although laser tube cutting can replace conventional machining processes such as drilling, sawing and milling, it is also now possible to perform threading operations in-cycle, replacing weak and time-consuming fixings such as nuts or rivets.
In the first machining step, the flow drill produces an extrusion that is followed by the cutting of a heavy-duty thread. Sensors monitor the process and alert the operator if a tool breaks, for example.
Advantages such as the flow drill will provide a competitive edge in many regards, not least when trying to win work required by the healthcare sector as it looks to boost capacity due to coronavirus.
For further information www.uk.trumpf.com

Birmingham-based Finish Architectural has used its investment in the latest automated punching and laser-cutting technology from Amada to double the size of its business over the past five years.

Finish Architectural, which generates turnover of circa £5.5m, manufactures products that include window cills and pods, copings, rain-screen systems, facade steel supports, steel bracketry, flashings, perforated sheet, punched art, louvre systems, and bespoke pressings – essentially any construction-related fabricated item.
“In 2015 we bought our first automated machine, and have doubled in size since then,” states operations director Terry Turner. “Automation removes manual input and provides a lot more control over our operational efficiency.”
The shift to automation began with the arrival of an Amada EM-ZR B servo-electric turret punch press that benefits from an ASLIII MP300/40 automated tower loading system and automatic part picker. Two years later, in 2017, an Amada LCG-AJ 4kW fibre laser-cutting machine was installed featuring an AS LUL automated load-unload system.
“These investments were purposely designed to upgrade our facility and bring automation online,” says Turner. “We knew that automation would unlock the potential growth we had in the business.”
As well as a host of aluminium parts, the laser cutter is also used to process mild steel sheet, sometimes up to 15 mm thick. The impact of the automated Amada machines on business at Finish Architectural cannot be overstated. In 2015, the company operated a single-shift pattern, but by 2018 had switched to 24-hour operations, with the machines running fully throughout the weekends.
“Amada have held our hand and been there every step of the way, to make sure that we develop and grow the business around the automated machines,” concludes Turner. “The Amada support has been fantastic from the start.”
For further information www.amada.eu