Page 38 - MetalForming January 2015
P. 38

  New
Horizons for 45-Yr.-Old
Metal Stamper
With lot sizes continuing to shrink and customers looking for a full spectrum of metalforming and fabricating services, the decision became clear: invest in a 5-kW automated laser-cutting machine.
customer needs have been changing. “Today, we perform an increasing amount of complete manufacturing services, from raw material to weld- ing, painting, assembly and shipping,” explains Carr. “This led us more and more to invest in laser cutting. We see an increasing amount of assembly work and smaller-piece runs where stamping is not the most efficient production method.
“In addition,” Carr continues, “cus- tomers often want to change designs or add or eliminate holes and other part
Carmeco Inc., Lebanon, MO, was founded in 1970 as a 6000-sq.-ft. metalforming company with a handful of stamping presses. From its modest beginning, the firm has evolved into a full-service contract manufac- turer with 80,000 sq. ft. of manufac- turing space over two buildings. Its customer base includes OEMs in the trucking, housing, agriculture, recre- ation and other industries.
Now with a stamping-press count of 22, the metalformer also employs press brakes to 110-ton capacity, as well as a slew of arc- and resistance-welding equipment. Its latest evolutionary step came in April 2013, with the invest- ment in a high-power laser-cutting machine.
Carmeco’s laser-cutting machine, a Prima Power Platino model 1530 with a 60- by 120-in. table and 5000-W CO2 resonator, cuts a broad range of mate- rials and thicknesses with speed and precision, without the need for manu-
al adjustments. The cutting head gives users a choice of a 10-in. focal length in addition to the standard 5- and 7.5-in. lenses. The 10-in. lens enhances appli- cation flexibility by increasing the depth of focus and enlarging the spot diameter for high and uniform cut quality of thick stainless (5⁄8 in.), alu- minum (1⁄2 in.) and mild steel (1 in).
Offering a compact footprint along with a Cartesian cantilever structure that provides three-sided access, the machine has proven easy to operate and quick to program, says John Carr, Carmeco vice president of business development. Its unique stonecast frame reportedly reduces vibration and increases stiffness compared to cast iron and welded frames. And, its low heat conductivity results in high ther- mal stability compared to traditional cast or steel frames.
Changing Market
For the past several years, Carmeco’s
36 MetalForming/January 2015
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Carmeco’s new laser-cutting cell includes Prima Power’s compact 10-shelf TowerServer material-handling system that allows easy loading/unloading of blanks and processed sheets. It has an elevator for loading and unloading the pallets on and off the tower, and features single-sheet separating.



















































































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