FORMING AND FABRICATING AUTOMATION
Automating to Eke Out Press Brake Efficiencies H
A high-speed press brake featuring a
ere we offer several tips that fabricators can employ to optimize efficiency from their press brakes.
10-plus-ft.-long bed and tended by a heavy- payload six-axis robot allows Louis Industries to perform contract work rapidly, and take on large-part work.
Automation can solve one of the biggest time-consumers—tool changeover. “Fabricators encounter a lot of issues with how long it takes to change over a press brake from one operation to another,” says PMA director of technical training Dean Phillips. Fabricators can automate tool changes by using sectional tooling, and machines equipped to store tools near the press brake (shown here) that automatically move tools in and out of the brake based on the needs of each specific job.
Robotic Press Brake Cell Success Part of Patient Automation Journey
L ouis Industries has maintained a measured and disciplined approach to adding automation on its plant floor. Example: Experience and productivity gains in a robot-tended press brake bending cell pave the way for continued automation success. One of the latest automation successes at Louis Industries, Paynesville, MN: a robotic forming cell, anchored by a Bystronic press brake fed by a Kuka industrial robot—a 100% turnkey Bystronic install and integration project that went online in the fall of 2021. The automated cell includes Bystronic’s Xpert Pro hydraulic press brake, offering 165 tons of force across its 10.17-ft.-long bed. Louis Industries opted for the Dynamic model of the machine, providing bending speeds to 543 in./min. to best synch with robot automation, and ideal for OEM
Press brake technology continues to evolve from its early advancements, from backgauges to controls and simulation. “We’ve taken another leap forward with automation,” advises PMA Director of Technical Training Dean Phillips. “How do you automate your operations within the press brake environment? That doesn’t mean just using robots to handle the part through the bend cycle.”
and job shop fabricators requiring high speed to handle batch sizes of 1000 pieces and more, according to Bystronic officials. The Kuka KR 210 six-axis robot, a sturdy workhorse feeding the big brake, offers a payload capacity of 463 lb. and more than 106 in. of reach.
More automation possibilities are opening up, according to Phillips. “That can include an automated lift table that follows up the bend, hold- ing the part so that it is consistent from one angle to another,” he says. “That’s especially applicable for really long parts that would be difficult for operators to manage by hand.”
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