Page 23 - MetalForming February 2013

recently installed a bulk system for dis- tributing ultra-high-purity nitrogen. “It allows us to bulk-fill units directly from the delivery truck,” says Hauser, “and gives us the equivalent of three dewars manifolded together. This increases our ability to run lights-out and maintain the gas pressure required.”
A Symphonic-Like Cell
Watching the automated laser-pro- duction cell run is like watching a care- fully directed symphony. Each cell component relies on the other com- ponents, and the entire orchestra of parts relies on the conductor—the operator (and also the programmer) to carefully direct its activities. Fea- tured is the Amada AMS 3015 system; Amada says that more than half of its customers that have purchased the sys- tem have added a second laser, as has Laystrom. The modular building-block system includes the raw-material and finished-sheet storage towers, and shuttle tables for carrying material to and from each laser-cutting machine. Each tower shelf is rated to 4400 lb. of material and a maximum stacking height of just under 5 in. “And, down the road we can increase capacity by adding another five shelves to the material tower,” says Bob Laystrom.
The goal when programming the cell, explains second-shift supervisor Sergio Cano, is to try to have one cut- ting machine running jobs with longer cycle times, and load shorter-running jobs on the second cutting machine, to “minimally disrupt the material-han- dling automation,” says Cano. “But then we may have days where one laser runs from the automation all day while the operator loads smaller blanks on the second machine, to process small orders.”
Most often, the workcell processes a fully loaded tower of raw material over two shifts. The operator will start his day by spending 2 hr. loading the mate- rial-storage shelves to capacity, and initiating the programmed run cycle from the cell scheduling controller. “We probably run 50 different types and thicknesses of carbon steel, stainless
steel and aluminum regularly,” adds Vega. The software (Amada’s Dr. Abe) then takes over. It tracks inbound material inventory, and also keeps tabs on where each job ends up in the finished-goods tower. “And we can monitor the entire cell over the Internet via computer or
smart phone,” adds Foley.
With so much laser-cutting capaci-
ty, pressure to keep production flowing falls on downstream press-brake bend-
ing, and to react Laystrom has beefed up operations there, particularly on second shift. “Up until we bought the second laser-cutting machine,” con- tinues Foley, “we’d run 45 hr. per week on regular 9-hr. days for one shift, and stretch to 10- or 11-hr. days on over- time. Plus Saturdays. Now we have a second shift and need two or three additional press-brake operators to keep the work moving.” MF
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