Page 32 - MetalForming December 2014

Productivity is Cooking, With the Help of a New
Laser-Punch Combo
One machine that combines 2000-W fiber-laser cutting with 52-station multi-press punching performs the work of three CNC turret presses, a recipe for a more than 50-percent productivity boost served along with a heaping side order of increased material utilization.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
Following its push toward lean manufacturing that began in 2007, foodservice-equipment manufacturer Winston Industries, Louisville, KY, took the next step in cooking up new productivity gains by investing in its first laser-cutting machine, in 2011. Compared to relying on aging turret presses to help fabricate its primarily stainless-steel products, laser cutting launched a new dawn at Winston.
“We really fell in love with laser cut- ting,” says Winston vice president of manufacturing Bob Leavitt. “At the time (2011) we either had to reinvest in new turret-press technology or look for- ward. That led us to laser cutting, and an investment in a CO2 laser-cutting machine.”
Less than 2 yr. later, early in 2013 Winston took another giant leap for- ward with laser cutting by adding a combination punch-press fiber-laser cutting machine (a Salvagnini SL4) to its fabrication shop. Fabricating com- ponents for its lineup of cooking and holding cabinets, drawers and the like, Winston works primarily with stain- less steel (85 percent) as well as alu- minum (10 percent) and galvanized steel (5 percent) in sheet thicknesses of 11 to 26 gauge.
“The speed from the fiber laser is absolutely amazing,” shares Leavitt. “We thought that 11-gauge stainless would challenge the fiber laser, but it cuts the thicker material just fine. And we’ve cut aluminum sheet to 0.187 in.
The SL4 combination machine (along the back wall) marries a 52-station punching machine with a multi-press head to a 2000-W fiber laser. Material comes from a pair of storage towers (upper left) at the entry end of the SL4, each capable of storing 15 vari- eties of sheet material type and thickness. The SL4 punches and laser cuts as required, and parts can either be removed at the SL4’s unload station and moved into work-in- process, or be directly routed to a Salvagnini P4 panel bender (foreground).
30 MetalForming/December 2014
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