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Sheet
Metal Fabricators Have Choices
Be As Lean and Automated As You Can Be
by Jim Lorincz
Editor-In-Chief
TOOLING & PRODUCTION
At
Halton Marine, linear motor drives position
the x/y axes at 11,811 ipm for laser cutting
1-mm stainless steel for range hoods in the
galleys of cruise ships. |
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In
a sheet metal fabricating plant in Finland, linear motors,
on a standalone laser machine with automated loading, position
the x/y axes simultaneously at 11,811 ipm (300 m/min) for
laser cutting 1-mm stainless steel panels at 787 ipm for self-cleaning
galley range hoods for cruise ships.
In another fabricator’s plant
in Finland, also a supplier to the marine industry, panels for ventilation
systems for
cruise ships are processed on two high-production bending
machines with integral manipulation of sheet stock and automated load/unload.
In northern Italy, a large manufacturer of baking ovens bends
and punches stainless steel panels and forms intricately shaped
corners without special tooling in an automated flexible manufacturing
cell.
Lean Thinking
These are but a few examples of how European sheet metal
fabricators in Finland and Italy are matching the capability of advanced
sheet metal machines and systems to their production needs.
They were encountered on a recent visit with Finn-Power International’s
customers in both Finland and Italy where Finn-Power’s
manufacturing facilities were also toured. In Italy,
Finn-Power manufactures its precision CNC bending machine,
the Express
Bender.
Finn-Power, like most successful machine tool builders,
has recognized the importance of continually incorporating the
latest technology into its products. Its customers have
benefited from this commitment to the lean thinking associated with
its products since the late 1980s.
| Modern
Application News’ publisher, Bob
Olree, points as the self-cleaning feature
of the Halton self-cleaning range hood
is explained. |
|
By definition, in a lean-thinking organization product and
process development and operations are managed so that it takes
less human effort, less space, less capital, and less time
to make higher quality products-with fewer defects. Lean thinking
streamlines operations, eliminates waste, and identifies and
implements the equipment and procedures that contribute to
the value stream – whether inside the operation
or originating from the external supply stream.
Finn-Power’s entry into the sheet metal industry’s
supply stream took a major leap forward in 1983 when it introduced
a standalone NC hydraulic turret punch press. As early as 1987,
Finn-Power started automating consecutive work stages into
flexible manufacturing lines when it introduced the first combination
machine with integrated hydraulic right angle shear and turret
punch press (Shear Genius). For Finn-Power’s
customers this machine initiated the trend toward standalone
machines
with multiple functions that offered a flexible solution
to sheet metal processing.
Since then the company has made its machines capable
of standing on their own as cells by combining basic bending, punching,
and cutting processes to produce machines that punch/shear,
punch/laser cut, or punch/form/tap/laser cut-all on
one machine. Linked together with automation, these machines form complete
manufacturing systems that can be extended by adding
new workstations as production volume requires.
Working Sheet Metal
Sheet metal fabricators typically work aluminum, cold
roll steel, and stainless steel sheet in thicknesses ranging from
0.02” to 0.315”, in sheet stock 5x10 ft. up to
5x13 ft. Turret punch presses are effective in processing steel
up to 8 mm (0.314”) thick; shearing can handle material
up to 5 mm (0.196”) thick. Product combinations have
been developed to handle virtually any customer requirement
based on production needs and future growth. Finn-Power’s
newest 3.5 kW laser machine, for example, can cut metal to
0.75” with high-speed linear motor positioning
handling sheets up to 5x10 ft.
Finn-Power offers something for most any sheet metal
fabricator’s
production needs. Here’s the latest lineup of
its products:
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Standalone
NC turret punch presses are available in 22- and 33-ton
in both hydraulic and servo-electric versions for processing
sheets from 50”x100” to 5x12 ft. with upforming
to 0.63” for louvers etc. Models include “A” and “F” series
hydraulics and Express E5 servo-electric. |
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Shear
Genius “SG” Flexible Manufacturing Cell
is designed for lean manufacturing and work in process
reduction, performing load, punch, shear, upload in
33-ton version for processing sheet 50”x100” to
5x12 ft. |
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Shear
Brilliance “SB” incorporates linear motor
technology for high-speed positioning for combination
load/punch/shear/unload with 33-ton punch and 30-station
turret on sheet 5x12 ft. |
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Laser
Punch “L+P” features automated part production
including load/
punch/laser cut/unload with 33-ton hydraulic turret punch press and 2.5kW laser
for processing sheet 5x10 ft. |
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Laser
Punch LPE is a servo-electric version of the automated
machine with high accuracy for load/punch/laser cut/unload
with 22-ton punch for 5/16” sheet 50”x100” and
2.5 kW laser. |
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The
Finn-Power Laser FPL-6 integrates linear motor drive
in a standalone laser for laser cutting sheet 0.75” thick
and 5x10 ft with positioning of 11,811 ipm and laser
cutting of 787 ipm. |
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Express
Bending Cell “EB” is the latest iteration
of its fully automatic bending machines with rotational
manipulation of the part with a capacity to 0.12” thick
and 10.5 ft. long up to flange of 7.87”. The
Express Bender works the edges of the panel. Generally,
the process starts at the external edge of the sheet
and continues to the inner part of the sheet, working
one side after another in sequence until all bends
are completed. |
Other products include press brakes and robot-fed press
brakes.
Advancing Technology
Finn-Power has continued to integrate
high-speed positioning into its products through the use
of linear motor drives. Finn-Power
has integrated linear motor technology onto its combination
shear/ punching machine (Shear Brilliance); its state-of-the-art
standalone laser-cutting machine (the FPL-6 model), and,
most recently,
on its combination punch/laser cutting machine (Laser Brilliance).
In addition to being ultra fast, the linear motor positioning
system is extremely accurate.
Here’s what visitors to Euro-Blech saw when the Laser
Brilliance “LB” machine was introduced late last
year. The “LB” machine allows contouring speeds
up to 100 percent faster than conventional ball screw-driven
systems. The “LB” combines a hydraulic 30-station,
33-ton punching and utilizes linear drive technology for
ultra-fast extremely accurate positioning throughout the
full 20 feet
of X-axis travel. Axis positioning speed reaches 8,976
ipm (228 m/min), as well as laser cutting speed of 787
ipm (20
m/min).
Material flow can be automated in several ways. At its
introduction in Hannover, the Laser Brilliance was exhibited
with a 5-axis
loading, sorting, and stacking robot, as well as a sorting
unit with eight addresses. Or the Laser Brilliance can
be equipped with flexible modular material handling equipment
like a cell
concept using Finn-Power’s new, compact FPS raw material
storage. And, of course, it can be integrated into a Night
Train FMS system.
| The
Night Train FMS cell at Mondial Forni with
Shear Genius with special enclosure in foreground
and Bending Automation machine. |
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| At
Koja Ltd., the Finn-Power Express Bender
uses its unique manipulator to work the edges
of the panel, starting at the external edge
of the sheet and indexing each side in sequence
until all bends are completed. |
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Taking the Night Train
Finn-Power approaches automation first as an on-machine
opportunity to create a cell with multiple functions and then as an opportunity
to join machines together into a flexible manufacturing
system.
The most basic form of automation is loading and
unloading to reduce human interference with the process and to
complete sorting and stacking of individual components as final products
or for secondary operations.
To achieve production goals that can range from small
lot runs to full production runs, the company has
developed a flexible
manufacturing system that integrates machines into
cells with flexible automation that “integrates
the machines seamlessly from part to part and operation
to operation.”
That’s how Mikko Lindström, president, Finn-Power
International, describes the capability of his company’s Night
Train Flexible Manufacturing System. In addition
to punching, shearing, and/or laser cutting, the
Night
Train allows
the addition
of robotic press brakes or an in-line automatic panel
bender
to
automate the component bending process.
The benefit to the fabricators is that they can “bend
only the parts that are needed today and be able to bend parts
in different sequences than what they were punched to match
their assembly needs, thus eliminating extra work in process
while increasing throughput,” Lindström explains.
The Night Train FMS incorporates the successful
applications of both Finn-Power Flexible Manufacturing cells and its Automatic
Material Management Systems to provide a total solution
for
unmanned operation in sheet metal fabrication shops.
The Night Train automates system control, equipment operation, as well
as material flow within the system through a new
type of automatic storage for raw material and finished components.
The Material Management System of the Night Train FMS holds
all needed blank sheets. Punched and fabricated parts are automatically
stacked on pallets and transferred to the Material Management
System via the Night Train Wagon, allowing for long periods
of unmanned operation.
A further advantage of the Night Train FMS system is
that existing or legacy fabrication equipment, as well as new equipment sporting
the latest technological innovations, can be integrated
into
the system to further automate the manufacturing
process.
About the Customers Visited
Halton Marine is a global supplier of HVAC for cruise
ships, especially for cabin ventilation, galley ventilation and fire
safety products, such as fire dampers as well as
air flow management and air distribution in onshore applications. In addition
to
the linear-motor FPL-6 laser it has a Shear Genius
and an Express Bender on order and a Night Train FMS that will be installed.
It has manufacturing plants in Finland, France, the
U.S., and Malaysia.
Koja Ltd. manufactures and markets air
handling (HVAC) units for industrial, commercial, office and public buildings
as
well as fans for industrial applications. Koja has
the latest Finn-Power automated CNC bender, the Express Bender, a Bending
Automation machine, a Shear Genius, and a Shear Brilliance
machine on order.
Mondial Forni is an Italian manufacturer of refrigeration
and bakery and pastry ovens, mixers, blenders, and
related equipment.
The company’s Night Train FMS comprises an “SG” combination
shear and punching machine and a Bending Automation
bender to produce special curved panels without using
special
tooling.
 Reprinted with permission.
Tooling & Production,
March 2003.
To
obtain a copy of this article, contact Tiina Alanko
at
(847) 885 3200 or tiina@finnpower.com
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710
Remington Road 
Volume
13 Issue 1 -
July 2003