Sheet and plate solutions

As the UK's leading manufacturer of bellows and machinery protection systems, Beakbane Ltd, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, recently completed a two-year investment programme to improve its metalcutting and bending capabilities
Beakbane designs and manufactures protective covers in steel and flexible materials, including machine tool guards, flexible connectors, bellows, trolleys, metal fabrications and other machinery protection devices, with these delivered to diverse industries, such as medical, rail, machine tool and power generation.

Looking to improve its sheet metal bending operations, Beakbane installed advanced LVD bending technology, incorporating in-process angle correction system, CNC sheet supports, plus a powerful offline programming technology.

Beakbane purchased its first LVD Easy-Form press brake in 2008 and added a second Easy-Form machine in January this year. It is using the machines to bend large parts to tight tolerances.

THE RIGHT ANGLE
An integrated LVD Easy-Form Laser angle measurement system automatically monitors and corrects the bend angle in real time, ensuring excellent quality, while reducing set-up time and operator involvement – only one operator is needed to manage each machine.

Because the company forms large parts, it chose to equip its press brakes with a T1-T2 CNC sheet following system. The use of the T1-T2 sheet supports one-person operation and enhances angle repeatability, part quality, safety and ease of material handling, further improving overall productivity.

Unlike conventional pneumatic sheet support systems, Beakbane's T1-T2 system is fully programmable and follows a parabolic arc, moving with the material in a combination of axes, both up and down and pivoting toward the bend point. Support arms make full contact with the plate during the total bending process. The controller automatically calculates trajectory, lifting arm speed and position (all dependent upon V – die opening), reducing operator intervention and set-up. Supporting the part throughout the bending process ensures the weight of the sheet does not 'break the back' of the part during bending.

Further simplifying bending operations, Beakbane's press brakes are equipped with LVD's new CADMAN Touch CNC control. This features an easy-to-use, intuitive user interface to minimise input, allowing the company to move from drawing to completed part in fewer steps.

Offline and online process integration is achieved through LVD's CADMAN-B 3D software, which enables Beakbane to import SAT files directly from its SolidWorks system. Offline software was a key consideration for Beakbane, as it wanted a system that could take full advantage of the press brakes' capabilities.

Using the centralised 'intelligent' LVD bending database shared between the press brakes and the offline software, CADMAN automatically calculates bending feasibility, tool set-ups and the program for the press brakes.

The system automatically determines the optimum bend sequence, using 3D data. It also automatically calculates the optimum station set-up and provides a complete graphical set-up report for the press brake operator. The software also allows complete flexibility to manually or semi-automatically sequence, gauge and bend parts.

In addition, all axes of the press brakes, including the CNC crowning system, are calculated by the control and are automatically positioned for optimum bending results.

These automated functions keep part repeatability and accuracy at a high level. Once a part has been programmed, a subsequent set-up takes a few minutes.

"Being able to handle customer drawing files through our SolidWorks system, and then directly import parts to automatically generate the information for the tool set-up as well as the machine program, is a significant advantage," says Barry Reeves, managing director. "This capability enables us to offer customers reduced lead times from point of order to manufacture. Furthermore, our employees no longer need hard copy drawings to manage, in turn removing operational costs."
Elsewhere, ESAB Cutting Systems' profile cutting technology is playing a major role in the production success of mobile crushing and screening equipment manufactured by world leader Fintec Crushing and Screening. Fintec is part of the Sandvik Group of companies and manufactures products for the demolition, recycling and extractive industries.

The company has made considerable investment in production facilities at its plant in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This has included a new 55,000 ft2 extension to its manufacturing facility where the company makes extensive use of ESAB Cutting Systems' profile cutting technology. There are now six ESAB Suprarex cutting machines supporting a flexible, fully automated cutting facility and, as a result of these investments, the firm now carries out its cutting in-house, rather than relying on sub-contractors.

Fintec cuts mild steel with thicknesses of 2-20 mm on the ESAB Suprarex SXE-P1 machines. The latest machine features Vision CNC control, equipped with a cutting and marking database that saves time and eliminates the risk of errors when a job is being set up. In addition, the ESAB 200A precision plasma power source includes all the preset cutting parameters. When different parts are to be cut, one button adjusts the plasma-cutting parameters to the correct material thickness.
The creation of CAD drawings of component parts is the first stage of the cutting process and these are processed by programming software –this reducing inventory by moving away from batch cutting to an as-required daily basis.

The major benefits for Fintec have been the ability to increase cutting speeds by approximately 30 per cent on the 2–10 mm plate sizes, and by around 125 per cent on 12–20 mm plate. Reduced running costs are realised through the use of longer life consumables and by using compressed air, rather than nitrogen, as the start gas. The quality of cut achieved also means operations such as fettling are minimised.

Production times are further optimised by the Suprarex's dual loading capability, so that loading/unloading of plate can take place while the machine continues to cut.

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Product launches in brief

* KMT Waterjet Systems now offers a touch-screen display for its STREAMLINE SL-V 30-100 ultra-high pressure pumps, models from the SL-V 150/200 range and the new PRO Series of High Pressure 6000 bar pumps. This allows the control and monitoring of all the pumps' operating parameters by simply pressing the respective touch-screen buttons on the display. Remote diagnostics via the Internet is also a possibility.

*Mate Precision Tooling has introduced a new slitting tool system For Trumpf-style punch presses featuring M4PM tool steel. It is the only punch press tool slitting system using M4PM tool steel, which offers highest tool performance with superior wear resistance and increased toughness, resulting in higher quality punched parts and longer tool life.

* ES Technology's new ES-CUT150 profiler has been designed for the production of medical device components. Capable of cutting material up to 5.0 mm thick, the 150 W pulsed YAG Laser can be configured to produce a kerf width of only 18 µm. The machine has a 400 by 400 mm work envelope.

* Water Jet Sweden's new height sensor is able to assure position vertical height clearance across a complete work area to within a tolerance of +/- 0.1 mm.

* Trumpf's new TruLaser Robot 5020 can perform laser welding, laser cutting and component coating by laser deposition welding on one production system.