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Maximising your machinery investment

As the international sheet metal industry demand for safer and more productive press brakes increases, one company stands well above the rest in delivering safer and far more productive safety solutions. 

 

Gone are the days when manufacturers would supply unguarded press brakes with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the machine left up to the reseller or end user. And while most machines are now offered as standard with industry compliant safety and guarding devices it is one area that is most often overlooked when purchasing a new machine. More often than not the end user will simply accept the guarding system that is supplied by the machine manufacturer or select the cheapest guarding option that is offered without really understanding the implications of this important decision. 

 

One of the most significant aspects of any machine purchase is the productivity capability. When spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new machine it is crucial for the end user to maximize productivity potential in order to gain the maximum benefit from their investment. 

 

The guarding system is one part of the machine that can have a significant affect on the machine's productivity potential. For mid to high-end press brakes a reduction in productivity output can result in significantly higher operating costs. Until now all guarding systems available for press brakes have been designed around operator safety with no consideration to the affect on machine productivity. This also poses other potential problems as some users are prepared to risk serious injury by disconnecting or bypassing machine guarding in order to increase productivity levels. 

 

Lazer Safe has taken a very different approach with an innovative technology that not only provides superior operator security but also enhances press brake productivity to a new level.  

 

Normal guarding systems force the tools into slow speed closing well above the programmed pinch point, which increases the overall cycle time and slows down production. With an unguarded machine the speed change point is 6 mm above the material. Most guarding systems force a speed change point somewhere between 12 mm to 22 mm. Lazer Safe's new system allows a speed change point of only 2 mm. This represents a time saving of up to two seconds per cycle. At first two seconds may not sound like much but added up over a full days production the time savings can add up to several minutes or even hours in a high production environment. 

 

The Lazer Safe system employs advanced laser technology and digital image processing to achieve what was thought to be the impossible. By creating a security zone around the punch, the tools can safely close at high speed. As the punch reaches the material, the security zone is progressively muted down to 2 mm. The final 2 mm of closing before the punch meets the material is at pressing speed. This accounts for only 0.2 seconds of slow speed closing which is far superior to slow speed closing times of 1.2 to 2.2 seconds forced by other light guard systems. 

 

With Lazer Safe, productivity is the key. Now there is no reason why a machine cannot be safe while at the same time being more productive than an unguarded machine. But why stop there? Lazer Safe has taken their productivity technology one step further by introducing an optional bend angle confirmation function. This option uses the existing digital image processing technology to capture and process images of the formed work piece. The bend angle is checked and confirmed instantly on every cycle to ensure every work piece is formed to the required tolerance. 

 

Standard features include tolerance on bend angle, tolerance on 'warp' (bend inconsistency over length of the bend) and an out of tolerance alarm. When supported by the CNC system the data transfer can allow additional functions such as visual alert to the operator if a bend angle is out of tolerance and/or automatic correction to the bend program with re-bending. 

 

The bend angle confirmation option is a quality control tool allowing the operator to adjust operating parameters to ensure products are made to specification. In the process this eliminates material wastage and saves valuable operating time by automatically confirming the angle on every bend rather than requiring the operator to perform separate manual measurements. 

 

Lazer Safe's new productivity enhancement technology is available for new press brakes from leading machinery manufacturers.

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