All Metals Fabricating, Inc. recently expanded its fleet of fabricating equipment with a TruLaser 5030 fiber with an 8kW TruDisk laser with two TruStore 3030 storage towers. The TruLaser 5030 fiber is the only 2D laser cutting machine in the industry available with an 8kW solid-state laser. First available with the 8kW laser in November 2014, this highly productive machine was quickly embraced by fabricators across North America for its ability to significantly boost productivity when processing medium and thick sheet metal. The system at All Metals Fabricating is the first of its kind in Texas.

As a highly productive, universal powerhouse for cutting sheet metal, the 8kW TruLaser 5030 fiber is able to process thin materials with impressive speed as well as thick material with exceptional quality. With BrightLine fiber, the 8kW TruLaser 5030 fiber can process up to 1 inch steel and 1.5 inch stainless and aluminum. The laser source, machine, optics, optional cutting technologies, automation, storage systems and software were all developed by TRUMPF to work perfectly in tandem, achieving maximum performance and keeping cost-per-part to an absolute minimum.

As a job shop processing a wide variety of materials and thicknesses, All Metals Fabricating looked to invest in the best fiber laser machine technology on the market. All Metals Fabricating CFO Lance Thrailkill explains, “We believe in giving our employees the best technology available and providing the best tools so they can be innovative in their work.” The company also invested in TruStore 3030 storage towers to increase efficiency as well as the laser’s beam-on time. “We strive to be a worldclass manufacturing facility that supplies the best quality at the best price. The power and performance of our new TruLaser 5030 fiber enables us to deliver parts faster and more economically for our customers,” says Thrailkill. “In addition, BrightLine fiber will enable us to cut thicker material much more efficiently, which will increase our capabilities and competitiveness in that niche of the industry.”

The PunchGuide app simplifies many calculations and supports users of punching and punch laser machines.

The new PunchGuide written by TRUMPF makes the calculations involved with punching easier than ever before. That mechanical engineering company, located in Ditzingen, Germany, has packed its comprehensive expertise in the field of punching technology into this practical app, designed for use with smartphones or tablet PCs.

The PunchGuide app puts the most important parameters at the fingertips of work schedulers, engineers and operators. They offer support for a variety of calculations including punching force, cutting clearance, prepunching diameter, maximum edge length, stripper selection, calculations for sheet metal thickness conversion and sheet weight. It is easy to specify whether results are to be output in metric or imperial units of measure. To arrive at the desired result even faster, users can store data for their own machines in the app. This mobile app can be obtained in versions for German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Czech and Chinese. It is available immediately, at no charge, for the iOS and Android operating systems as well as in a Web version. For more information Please visit: www.trumpf.com/apps/punchguide

When it comes to cutting metals and other materials, there are two main cutting choices: plasma cutting and laser cutting. Both methods offer an effective solution for the fabrication of materials unsuitable for cutting by traditional methods.

Yet there’s one question that a lot of manufacturers have when it comes to having their materials cut: Which one is better? Laser or plasma? 

Plasma, of course, had the head start and was first used to cut metal in the 1950s, with lasers only becoming utilised as a cutting method in 1965.

But does age give the plasma cutter an advantage? Or does the fact that the laser cutter came late to the party mean it had more time to develop?

Let’s discuss the benefits of each cutting type, before deciding which is better.

Both methods are incredibly effective at what they do, so this could be a close one.

Plasma Cutting 

As the oldest form of cutting between the two, it only felt right that we first explored the art of plasma cutting.

Plasma cutting works by firing a gas out of a nozzle, and the cutting occurs because an electric arc is formed as this happens between the gas and the metal – and this creates plasma.

This then cuts through the metal, which is the only material that plasma cutting works on.

However, there are no limits to the types of metals that it can cut, as plasma can be made use of no matter what type of metal you require cutting. This makes it an incredibly versatile tool when it comes to the metal cutting industry.

When operating a plasma cutter, you must wear protective glasses at all times to avoid damage to your eyes, and the machine can be noisy. Plasma cutting can also be dangerous if the proper precautions are not taken before the machine is used.

Plasma is able to cut metals in various thicknesses ranging between 1mm and 80mm, and it can also cut at a speed of 20 metres per minute. In terms of specialist cutting area, plasma is best when it comes to cutting thick metal, which it does so incredibly well.

But what about laser cutting?

Laser Cutting

There are two types of lasers, Co2 and fibre lasers, and both of them are great at cutting.

Fibre lasers are best to use when you are hoping to cut a thin metal sheet, and it can work through all metal types. However, a Co2 laser cannot cut through copper, brass and aluminium as it will not work on reflective surfaces.

Yet don’t be put off.

Co2 lasers can also cut through wood and acrylics, making them a great, all-round cutting device if you have a large selection of different material types to cut in a timely manner.

Lasers can also be used for a variety of other actions as well as cutting. They can also engrave, weld, drill and much more – meaning if you have a laser device you could be open to a world of different design aspects.

The best thing about laser cutting is that it’s quick, efficient and incredibly accurate. And when it comes to the finish you’ll receive from laser cutting, you can be sure that it will leave behind a smooth edge.

However, laser cutting cannot cut materials as thick as plasma, and usually can only efficiently cut materials that are up to 25mm in thickness.

Yet the quick nature of laser cutting overall will mean a quick turn around, so this is something that needs to be taken into consideration when debating which type of cutting will be the best

Laser vs Plasma

Both lasers and plasmas have different benefits when it comes to cutting materials.

Lasers tend to be more accurate and a quicker than their plasma cutting cousin, yet plasma cutting can cut through every single metal type whereas lasers cannot.

Plasma cutting is a more dangerous process than laser cutting, yet it is also best at cutting thick materials. Lasers are more effective if your metal surface is on the thinner side, and also if you need to cut other materials such as wood.

Laser cutting also uses less energy than plasma cutting requires, making it a more eco friendly way of cutting your materials. However, it won’t be able to handle metals beyond the range of 25mm, whereas plasma cutters can cut through any type of metal up to 80mm in thickness making it more efficient when it comes to cutting metals.

Lasers are also more capable of producing a variety of different cuts, and can be used to print things in 3D as well as engraving items. As 3D printing is becoming more and more popular, it’s hard to deny how much of an advantage this gives laser cutting over the plasma cutting equivalent.

On top of this, due to the fact that laser cutting can provide a quicker turn around when it comes to any required jobs, it may be more of a suitable option to choose laser over plasma if you need your cutting in a quick manner.

Yet both plasma and laser cutting do have their own place in the cutting industry, secured by the varying benefits of both practices.

It largely depends on what you need cutting, and the thickness of it. Only then can you really determine whether laser or plasma cutting will be more effective when it comes to cutting your materials.

This blog was written by Amy Leach on behalf of laser cutting specialists Yorkshire Profiles Ltd.

Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

]]> https://mfgtechupdate.com/vminox-meets-the-market-challenges-with-blms-technology/ Thu, 26 Feb 2015 05:37:48 +0000 http://mfgtechupdate.com/?p=4587 Italy-based VM Inox S.a.s, a renowned name in the world of stainless steel fencing and railing, has come a long way since its inception in 1975. The company has grown and evolved with the changing consumer demands; be it security fencing or decorative fencing. During my second trip to Italy during October, 2014, I had […]]]>

Italy-based VM Inox S.a.s, a renowned name in the world of stainless steel fencing and railing, has come a long way since its inception in 1975. The company has grown and evolved with the changing consumer demands; be it security fencing or decorative fencing.

During my second trip to Italy during October, 2014, I had a chance to visit VM Inox and meet Mr. Renato Vanzulli, Owner of the company. I got a lovely warm welcome when I arrived at the facility. I was fascinated witnessing the job shop that dealt with tube and sheetmetal processing work. It was not what I had seen in India, it was huge with minimum manpower (7-8) including, operation, design, admin, or for that matter the owner himself. The whole operation was fully automated; raw material and machines were kept in a systematic way to optimize the space.

Each and every product related to tubes were made by VM Inox, be it a garden bench or company fencing; many beautiful designs made using the BLM laser cutting machines spoke of Mr. Vanzulli’s passion for the same.

While talking to Mr.VanzulliVanzulli, I realised that the fencing demands and preferences have changed over the years, the present day consumers do not consider fencing just as a security option, but also as a decorative element and a status symbol. Keeping these factors in mind Mr Vanzulli has left no stone unturned to fulfill the consumer demands and has invested in high-end technologies. In its 39 years stint, the company has grown to become a one-stop-shop for fencing and railing solutions.

Recommended read: Ingemetal Solar Finds The Right Tube Cutting Solution

Technology & Trends
Looking at the vast opportunities in the fencing and railing industry, the company has invested in various tube processing technologies including a range of machines from BLM Group.

“In the past, almost everything was done manually, even operations like punching and drilling. We even developed our own machine for punching and continued to operate the same way for 30 years with few technologies up gradations,” says Mr Vanzulli with a smile on his face. “But with every passing day we witnessed a growing demand for fast delivery and complex products; that is when we made up our mind to invest in high-end laser technology.”

Talking about the first purchase Mr Vanzulli says, “We bought our first modern machine in 2006 after we came across BLM Group. We bought a ADIGE TS 72 sawing machine for faster cutting operations. The machine was extremely fast and effective, and it is still used for the production of standard high-volume applications. This technology not only helped us cut down on scrap, but also provided us with high cutting speed.”

Use of right technology
During 2007-08, VM Inox bagged a project which involved cutting six meter long tubes, but the ADIGE TS 72 sawing machine being used capacitywas not sufficient to carry out complex cuts required for that project. So the company decided to opt for the combo machine ADILAS 2 from BLM which was able to process both tubes and sheet metal efficiently.

After the machine was installed, BLM group helped VM Inox in the training process. Recalling those days Mr Vanzulli says, “The after sales service from BLM was impressive, they spent time with us in our facility and provided us training which turned out to be very useful.”

After two years, VM Inox replaced the ADILAS 2 system with its advanced successor, the LT COMBO.

Control system from BLM has the capability to apply small corrections on the machine so one does not have to go back to CAD. Talking about the capability of the machine Mr Vanzulli adds, “We had realised the capability of laser, but to put it to use we needed design capability. The off-line programming system ARTUBE from BLM Group is capable of the designing process it made our lives easy. Also, the ARTUBE software supports other CAD software’s STP files, we just need to send the STP file and post process it. As we started receiving 3D drawings from Customers, we also had to update our design capability, so we opted for SolidWorks”.

[blockquote style=”1″]The real estate business in Italy has been unstable since 2008 and affected VM Inox’s fencing business. On one side the volumes reduced and on the other hand there were more ups and downs with shorter and shorter delivery times. Talking about the challenges Mr Vanzulli says, “Our capability to handle different kind of jobs, materials and sizes with laser has helped us sustain through’ these difficult years.”[/blockquote]

Marching Ahead
After adopting laser technology in their process, the company started to look forward to expand their territory and started by taking contracts for job works. “Initially we undertook only fencing and railing work, but the potential of laser technology led us to other job works which at times are very complex. To cater to the growing demand we have started adding more machines to our facility.”

Currently, VM Inox owns four BLM Group machines LT COMBO, LT722, LT8 and TS 72 and is confident to take up any kind of job related to tube and sheet metal.

With the BLM machines, the work efficiency has seen a tremendous rise. “We have one control room from where the cutting programmes are directly sent to all the machines. Today, our manufacturing time is less than 50% compared to what it was before.”

Looking at the capability of BLM machines and to reap added benefits, VM Inox developed another software, standard software for fencing, it is a parametric software that has made the designing process easy and fast for them. “We have developed templates that can work well with BLM Group machines,” says Mr Vanzulli with a grin.

Setting an example
VM Inox is riding high on innovation, from investing in software & technology to upgrading the manufacturing system and much more. The company is planning to install the fourth laser machine from BLM Group soon.

“We believe that a company has to be flexible in order to address customer demands,” concludes Mr Vanzulli.

I have always heard, how important it is to adopt new technology if we want to be competitive in the changing market scenario. After visiting the VMInox facility, I realised how true it is. The company proved that investing in right technology is necessary not only to survive but progress and it can reap good result. VM Inox turned out to be an inspiration to be taken back home for all those job-shop owners and fabricators who are struggling with changing demands in terms of materials to be processed, changing batch sizes, tight delivery schedules and high quality. budding entrepreneurs in machining industry.

By Nishant Kashyap

Sets new standards of productivity, energy efficiency and flexibility.

Four years after the successful market launch of the first generation, TRUMPF is releasing the second generation of its TruLaser Cell 8030. The new machine’s principal field of application is laser-cutting hot-formed 3D designs and press-hardened components. Based on experience gained with the first generation, TRUMPF has made targeted improvements in decisive areas and significantly enhanced the machine’s performance. Not only is the new TruLaser Cell 8030 more productive and energy-efficient than its predecessor, it also has lower investment costs thanks to its modular design and flexible configuration.

The machine’s increased productivity is due primarily to the highly dynamic rotational changer and the new rotary indexing table, which features three workstations. The areas for machine loading and unloading are completely separate from each other, facilitating semi-automated solutions. For example, an operator and an optional robot could work simultaneously while the laser cuts the component. This substantially increases the machine’s productivity. In conjunction with the new TruDisk 2000 with 2-kilowatt laser power, also the energy efficiency of the TruLaser Cell 8030 improves. The disk laser’s beam quality has doubled to 2 mm mrad, and its winning combination of low power consumption and low investment costs also brings down costs per part. When greater power is required, however, the new TruLaser Cell 8030 is also available with the trusty TruDisk 3001 and TruDisk 4001 disk lasers, with 3- and 4-kilowatt laser power respectively.

TRUMPF has also improved the process reliability and stability of the TruLaser Cell 8030 with functions such as ObserveLine visual slug detection, which has very fast and dependable sensors: the complete cycle lasts a mere 135 milliseconds, making it more than twice as fast as other systems currently available on the market. Another new feature is the residual runtime display built into the front of the machine, which shows how much processing time remains for the current component along with further information about the status of the respective production order. This helps operators keep a close eye on the production cycle and efficiently sequence their tasks, increasing the machine’s output. Meanwhile, shift managers can visualize the current production situation and refine their plans for the remaining production steps accordingly.

Occupying less than 50 square meters, TruLaser Cell 8030 has a decidedly compact footprint. Because the electrical control units are built into the body of the machine, the system can be swiftly and easily integrated and commissioned even within existing production environments. TRUMPF has successfully reduced installation costs for the new TruLaser Cell 8030: whereas the old system required three supply cables to the machine, the centralized power supply now requires only one.

The new TruLaser Cell 8030 is now available in Germany and will be available worldwide from the first quarter of 2015.

At EuroBLECH 2014, the International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition, Precitec presented its latest generation of cutting heads.

The new compact ‘ProCutter’ was developed specifically for laser-based fusion cutting of thin and medium material thicknesses in the 1 µm wavelength range. With an integrated sensor system, three different designs and individual configuration options, this new development offers optimized flexibility. The three ProCutter ranges are ProCutter Manual, ProCutter, ProCutter Zoom.

“Anyone using dynamic laser cutting machines will today need cutting heads that combine a lightweight, compact construction with flexibility and intelligent sensor technology. These are precisely the requirements Precitec has met with its ProCutter range. And enormous interest was shown at this year’s EuroBLECH. Thanks to its flexibility, the ProCutter can be adapted incredibly well to various process, laser and machine requirements” explains Alexander Gatej, Product Manager at Precitec at the company’s headquarters in Gaggenau.

Three versions with individual options

The ProCutter owes its high flexibility to a perfected concept which combines three different product versions with individually adjustable configurations. The cutting head is available as a straight or offset

version (90° exit to the left or right-hand side) and can be optimally adapted to the machine concept concerned. In addition, users can choose between the ProCutter version with motorized focal position adjustment or the manual version which adjusts the focal position manually. The ProCutter Zoom version offers manufacturers who want to machine a broad range of sheet thicknesses the option of varying the focal position and the focal diameter independently of one another, and hence optimizing them for numerous materials. With an adjustable zoom of between 1.25x and 2.5x, the laser spot size directed at the workpiece can be adjusted by up to a factor of 2. As an additional option, Precitec offers a further configuration with the CutMonitor version. This allows users to monitor the piercingprocess and then start the cutting process precisely when the material has been completely penetrated. This way, cut interuptions are clearly detected and permit controlled fault management.

Performance confirmed in field tests

According to Alexander Gatej, the new generation of cutting heads performed very well when used in flat bed and pipe cutting machines for material thicknesses in the 1 µm wavelength range. In flame cutting, the ProCutter has been shown to machine greater material thicknesses without a problem and without compromising quality. “We have carried out extensive field tests with the ProCutter under industrial conditions”, explains Gatej: “The results show that our combination of tried and proven concepts, innovative technologies and an optimized design offer precisely the performance and reliability that our customers worldwide need for their systems.” When it comes to the production and assembly of the new cutting heads, Precitec sees high-quality optics and consistent quality control as paramount. “As a result, our customers benefit from an exceptional guiding of the laser beam and extremely high focal position stability, even in the areas of high laser power”, emphasizes Alexander Gatej.

Efficient, controlled cutting operation

The product design of the ProCutter range permits material machining with laser power of up to 6 kW in the near-infrared range, with small installation space and low weight at the same time. The housings of the ProCutter are set apart by a lightweight, slender design and are optimized for high external axis accelerations of up to 4.5 g. The motorized focal position adjustment allows a high degree of automation, through unattenended, automatic retooling and piercing, for example. At the same time, the integrated distance sensors ensure accurate and drift-free distance measurements even at high accelerations and at all operating temperatures. The robust and dust-tight housing promotes a long service life and permits short maintenance cycles through the integrated safety glass cartridge.

Modern sensor systems and safety equipment

To make the ProCutter safe and easy to use and to detect malfunctions before a possible loss event, the machining head is provided with comprehensive protection and control elements. The beam path, for example, is protectedcompletely dust and pressure tight by protective windows. Temperature and diffused light sensors check the state of the entire cutting head, as well as the condition of the individual components. In the cutting gas nozzle area, and also in the head of each ProCutter, pressure is automatically monitored. This allows possible leaks, such as after a safety glass change, to be registered and resolved without delay. All relevant operating states, including pressure, temperature, drive and contamination, are shown by the ProCutter via a highly-visible LED display on the outside of the housing.

Decentralized control via Bluetooth

Via an integrated Bluetooth interface, the current system state of the Precitec ProCutter can be controlled decentrally using a smartphone or tablet. At the same time, the sensor information can be individually visualized and the state of all monitored components in the cutting head is shown. The displays include the temperature of the focal or collimator lens, the cutting gas and purge air pressures, as well as information for the lens, the current configuration or the target and actual focal positions. Depending on user rights, either the sensor values can be read off or the threshold values can be set. This way, users are able to detect early possible fault sources remotely in good time and take the appropriate measures.

The TRUMPF Group increased its income significantly in the fiscal year 2013/14. Earnings before taxes rose by 61.2% to 248 million euros (previous year: 154 million euros). This was announced by the company at its annual press conference in Ditzingen.

One reason for the significantly higher result is an increase in revenues. During the 2013/14 fiscal year TRUMPF realized a total of 2.587 billion euros – the highest figure in the more than 90-year history of the company. Compared to the previous year’s sales of 2.343 billion euros, this represents an increase of 10.4%. “Even more important for our higher earnings, however, are several broadly-based yield and productivity enhancement programs, thanks to which we were much more efficient over the past year and a half,” said TRUMPF President Dr. Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller at the annual press conference. The company’s return on sales improved from 6.6% to 9.6%.

The sales figures also include various acquisitions by TRUMPF for the first time. “Over the past fiscal year we have strengthened our company at strategically important points by means of acquisitions,” said Dr. Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller. “However, even if one deducts these special effects, sales have still exceeded the two and a half-billion-euro mark for the first time.” The largest acquisition in the past fiscal year was a majority stake in the Chinese machine tool manufacturer Jiangsu Jinfangyuan CNC Machine Company Ltd. (JFY).

In the new financial year of 2014/15 TRUMPF will continue to strengthen itself in key markets and key future technologies by means of acquisitions. At the press conference, the company announced two more of these: TRUMPF has acquired a majority stake of 51% in the Indian software manufacturer India Metamation Software Pvt. Ltd. (IMM), based in Chennai, as well as an interest in its American subsidiary Metamation Inc. (USMM), based in Reno, Nevada. The company ranks as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of software for machine tools.

In addition, TRUMPF acquires a majority stake of 80% in its longstanding trading partner in Turkey, the company KOZ Makina Sanayi ve Dış Ticaret A.Ş. With the purchase of KOZ, TRUMPF is strengthening its presence in an extremely dynamic emerging economy which is also important throughout the entire region.

In the 2013/14 fiscal year, TRUMPF’s order intake rose by 16% to 2.70 billion euros (previous year: 2.33 billion euros). Due to recruitment of new personnel and the recent acquisitions, the number of employees rose: On June 30, TRUMPF employed 10,914 people worldwide – 10% more than the previous year.

Looking at the ever increasing demand, the Indian Government is continuously looking for ways to increase the power generation capacity. Having said this, one cannot deny that one of the best ways to achieve this is by utilising the solar energy that is abundantly available in India.

Apart from the government, private companies and various households have also adopted solar energy to fulfil their day-to-day requirement. This has led to a significant increase in the demand for solar panels and related equipment in the country. This demand has certainly called for technologies that can build equipment at faster rate thus increasing the productivity. Flexibility of the equipment is also of paramount importance since each project would require parts with different nature in terms of dimensions, weight and geometrical configuration depending upon the project location and size.

There are various companies that provide equipment directly or indirectly.

Ingemetal Solar is one such company who is involved in providing complete solar solution. Ingemetal Solar, part of Ingemetal Group, was launched as a company in 2006 who has become a full vertical, Integrated solar supplier. Since its inception, Ingemetal has been involved in seven parabolic trough plants. Today, it has become the leading fabricator of parabolic mirror support systems with close to 350 MW of thermo solar energy power plants installed in different countries in the world.

When Spain-based Ingemetal Solar, that also has a manufacturing base in Pune supplied the tubular mirror support structures for the 50MW CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) project installed near Jaiselmer, Rajasthan, India, they extensively used BLM Group Adige’s LT120 Laser tube cutting machine. It was used to cut the tubes required for fabricating these supports. The LT120 automatic laser tube cutting system is best suited for cutting thin walled metallic tubes up to 120 mm diameter generally used in the most important industrial sectors. The machine can also be efficiently used for simple operations like straight cuts. Starting from a tube bundle, all the cutting process (holes, slots, end-cuts etc.) are automatically carried out and a finished ready-to-weld component is unloaded from the machine. Some of its key features include low running costs, proven system reliability, easy and fast production changeovers and fully automatic work cycle.

A CSP plant generally uses Parabolic trough system. In this, the sunlight is is focussed with a parabolic mirror and directed onto an absorber tube located at the focus of the parabolic mirrors. This way, the heat transfer fluid inside the tube is heated and fed into a heat exchanger where it generates steam for the power plant block. The steam drives a turbine to generate electricity the same way a conventional power plants does. If the mirror support structures are not precise and rigid, the mirrors mounted on them will not be able to concentrate the sun rays properly on the tube containing heat transfer fluid and the efficiency of the power plant will go down. So the structures have to be precise and without any residual stresses. The residual stresses are reduced if the weld joints are properly prepared and welded. The laser tube cutting machine plays an important role in preparing the said weld joints.

Joaquin Gracia, Director – Operations, Ingemetal Solar India Pvt Ltd who was directly involved in the projects says, “The power plant has 120 loops on 48 collectors. There are 28 mirrors per collector. Ingemetal processed a total of 6,000 tonnes of tube for this project. The tubes were then welded together to get the support structure.”

The tube sizes used for this project were 30x30x2, 40x40x1, 40x40x1.5, 140x70x5, 140x70x10, 120x80x8 and 120x80x10 mm. A total of 2,000 tonnes of tubes were cut and welded to fabricate around 3,000 tonnes support sturctures.

More than 75% of the tubes used were of 40x40x1 mm and 40x40x1.5 mm. A small part of the cut tubes were imported from Spain. Those were also cut on Adige’s laser tube cutting machines.

Talking about the complexity of the project, Gracia says, “The components we require to make are solar components, the complexity of which can be compared with aeronautic requirements, means very high accuracy and very tight tolerances i.e. 0.1mm, only in this way possible to reach the best efficiency which will give the optimised electrical generations to our clients.”

Ingemetal Solar was looking for laser cutting machines that can produce extremely complex part at a faster rate. The company did its own market survey to understand the reputation of the brand, its efficiency and reputation and finally zeroed down to BLM LT120 Laser tube cutting machine in 2007.

“The kind of activities we do are very precise, we do not wish to take any chances with our quality therefore we went for BLM machine. It was necessary for us to have a high quality proven machine to do our complex jobs and as per our understanding BLM fits to our expectations,” says Gracia.

Before using BLM LT120, Ingemetal Solar was not able to produce the kind of product they expected to. It all changed after the BLM machine came into the picture. With the use of the machine they are able to offer quality products at competitive prices to clients and help make the market develop.

Elaborating on this Gracia says, “Our overall productivity has gone up by 20%, beating our own expectation, hence it has helped us generate more business and helped us fulfill our commitments on or before time.”

BLM is also very particular about the sales and service. Engineers from BLM frequently visit the customers facility for routine check-up of the machines. If required, they also provide time-to-time training and assistance to the customers .

Satisfied with the service Gracia says, “The operating speed and the kind of output this machine delivers makes it unique among various competitive brands available. The after sales service is fantastic in Europe and they are putting in efforts to provide the similar kind of services in India. I would like to highlight that their online support is effective across the globe. For the past seven years we are using the BLM machine and our experience with the company is satisfactory.”BLM has unique online support system in place, all the machines are connected thro’ internet for Tele-Diagnosis so that BLM’s after sales service engineers can access the machine to help operators to solve problems, update software etc. Apart from telephonic support, web-based video connection is also used to facilitate the customer service.

Ingemetal is one such company that takes extra efforts to educate its vendors and spread awareness about the latest technologies.

“As per our policy we support our vendors with the information about the best solutions available and persuade them to invest in the best technologies. Following our policy we are making our Indian vendors aware of the benefits of BLM tube laser machine and trying to convince them to invest in the machines to get the best productivity and to be more competitive,” avers Gracia.

India being a price concious market poses as the biggest challenge for companies functioning here. There are many who do not realise that investing in technology will help them in the long run.

Talking about experience in Indian industry Gracia opines, “In India business houses prefer to invest more on man power than technology. Contrary to this belief we are trying to educate and make our suppliers and customers understand the benefit of the technology and the machine, as in the longer run it will not only be more effective as it will help better production, but also be more accurate and cheaper. We hope and expect that we will be able to convince our vendors to go for BLM machine.”

Just like Ingemetal, there are many happy customers of BLM worldwide, but Gracia hopes to witness BLM having a stronger presence in India. Talking about the future plans Vinayak Joshi, Market Development Manager (for India) from BLM Group confirms that BLM is in process of strengthening its presence in the Indian market.

TRUMPF has agreed on a joint venture in the additive manufacturing sector. The partner is Italy’s biggest laser manufacturer SISMA S.p.A., which has a 45% stake in the new enterprise while TRUMPF has a 55% interest. Both partners are bringing expertise, human resources and capital to the joint venture. TRUMPF SISMA S.r.l. is based in Piovene Rocchette near Vicenza, Italy. There, TRUMPF and SISMA plan to co-develop latest-generation production systems for the 3D printing of metal components.

The technology known as ‘additive manufacturing’ enables any component to be built up directly from a 3D design program. The parts are created layer by layer from metallic powder, using the power of the laser. The technology has the potential of partially replacing methods such as milling or casting. The components are just as durable and long-lasting as their conventionally produced counterparts.

Today, companies from the most diverse sectors are qualifying components and products suited to additive manufacturing rather than the conventional methods utilized until now. To offer solutions here, TRUMPF is working on rapid entry into this market – at its headquarters in Ditzingen as well as together with SISMA. The two joint venture partners, with their high level of expertise in laser and mechanical engineering, want to provide robust and productive machines for mass production. “Many machines on the market today are aimed more at prototype construction,” explains Dr. Peter Leibinger, head of TRUMPF Laser Technology. “In the future, however, the most important criterion where additive manufacturing lines are concerned will be their suitability for industrial applications.”

Several years ago SISMA did begin work on developing an additive manufacturing machine for the production of small metallic components – and the Italian company is bringing this expertise to the joint venture. With annual sales of 33 million Euro and around 1000 laser devices sold each year, SISMA is the biggest laser manufacturer in Italy. The company has around 130 employees and can look back on over 50 years of experience in precision mechanics and industrial automation. The target markets of the innovative laser and systems supplier are primarily jewelry, fashion, dental and industry.

TRUMPF entered the additive manufacturing sector as a pioneer back in the year 2000. The “TrumaForm” – a universal tool for the generative manufacturing of metallic materials – was, however, years ahead of its time because the market for serial production of components had not yet developed. At the start of this year TRUMPF entered the additive manufacturing business once again, and is now benefiting from the results of earlier development work as well as from its ever increasing expertise in the related process of laser deposition welding, which is already being used today in all kinds of sectors for repair and coating applications.

Image Courtesy: TRUMPF

BLM GROUP, leader in tube processing technologies such laser cutting to cold saw, bending, end-forming, measurement, with a worldwide presence showcased its three revolunetiory technologies at recently concluded Tube & Wire 2014 exhibition. The company showcased 4-RUNNER – New system for manufacturing tubular components in Copper and Aluminum, E-Flex  – An addition to the family of wire bending machines and LT-FREE – An ideal system for laser cutting of pre-formed tubes and 3D sheet metal components. 

4-RUNNER 
4-RUNNER provides a complete production process on tubes starting from a coil: straightening, end-forming (up to six stages including facing and rolling), bending, cutting and controlled unloading of the finished part, all in one. The unquestionable advantage of this system is that it can be configured as per user requirements (only bending or complete with end-forming) to provide the optimal manufacturing solution. The 4-RUNNER has the capability of bending with fixed and variable radius in 3D. One can also combine the draw bending with multiple radii and flex bending on the same component. 4-Runner is an ALL Electric machine, this means higher productivity and accuracy while having lower electrical consumption, reduced set-up time and maintenance.

E-Flex
The E-FLEX is the new automatic single-head, all-electric, CNC wire bending machine to complement the double head wire bending machine DH2010. The machine is equipped with two clockwise and anticlockwise bending turrets; it is perfect for 3D bending and allows multiple bending technologies to be combined on the same part within the same cycle. Coil feeding ensures fully automatic operation. A chamfering option can be added for perfect, burr-free cuts. The cutting device is a controlled axis. Programming direction and stroke can be programmed to minimize cycle time.

LT-FREE 
The LT-FREE five-axis laser cutting system is ideal for three-dimensional parts, bent, hydroformed or pre-assembled tubes or flat and deep-drawn sheet metal components. Traditional cutting, drilling, piercing, milling and deburring operations, which are normally carried out in sequence can now be performed on a single machine in a single cycle. Finished parts are produced without ‘work in progress’ inventory, consequently reducing material handling costs and streamlining the entire production process – as well as downsizing the space needed for storage.

The system is equipped with a fibre laser capable of processing any type of metallic components (copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, galvanized steel, mild steel etc.) at high speed with excellent quality. 3D visual graphic programming (VGP3D) and constant visual monitoring of the bending zone by means of a camera make the machine easy, comfortable and safe to use.