Page 26 - MetalForming January 2013

EuroBlech 2012
One Machine, One Cycle for Shape Cutting, Forming and Tapping
I had to climb up onto a platform to look down onto Amada’s new Lasbend AJ machine to really understand all that was going on inside. The machine, with 18 axes under control, is designed for quick production of prototypes as well as for the manufacture of individual parts and small runs within a self-contained production process. It com- bines a vertically oriented 2-kW fiber laser, a 10-axis rotary- bending unit and onboard four-station tapping setup, along with material-handling robots.
During operation, the fiber laser first cuts subpanels (as large as 1250 by 2500 mm, from material to 4 mm thick) that are guided vertically through the machine for subsequent processing. The unique bending unit (200-kN capacity, 400-mm maximum bending length) with automatic tool changer boasts the newly developed BI-J angle-measure- ment system that measures the bending angle in real time and adjusts bending parameters as needed to ensure accu- racy. Shown are sample panels produced on the machine.
Amada: www.amada.com
8-kW Laser Power for Thick Stainless Steel
Trumpf raised eyebrows among showgoers with its new TruLaser Series 5000 machine, equipped with an 8-kW CO2 laser resonator and rated for cut- ting stainless-steel sheet and plate to 50 mm thick, as well as for thick aluminum work. The machine’s mirror-based optical system avoids the heat-related effects that can occur with lens- based systems, we’re told, mini- mizing the amount of cleaning required and decreasing wear rate.
Also unveiled to EuroBlech visitors was the SheetMaster Compact (shown), for use with Trumpf’s TruPunch 3000
Laser-Cut Pipe, Structurals and Other Shapes
punching machine. The new automated- material handling system locates the automation compo- nents next to the machine, as well as placing some com- ponents below the machine’s worktable, noticeably minimiz- ing the footprint of the entire system. And, the system reli-
ably discharges microjoint panels or scrap skeletons onto a removal carriage, for untended operation.
Trumpf: www.us.trumpf.com
Taking center stage at
the Mazak booth was a
new 2.5-kW version of the
firm’s 3D Fabri Gear 220
Mk II (shown), a fully automated mul- tiaxis laser-cutting machine designed for machining of long components, including pipe to 8 m. The machine also features a built-in tapping unit and automatic loading and unloading.
The machine was joined onstage by a new Optiplex 3015, a three-axis laser-
cutting machine rated to a rapid-tra- verse rate of 120 m/min. Outfitted with a 2.5-kW CO2 resonator, the machine performs high-speed cutting of thick mild-carbon steel, stainless steel and
aluminum work. It’s also
offered as an optional fiber-laser model (2 kW) for high-speed cutting of thin sheetmetal.
Mazak: www.mazakoptonics.com
24 MetalForming/January 2013
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