Page 39 - MetalForming November 2015

MAV (three-roll machines) and MCB (four-roll machines) boasts a new, stur- dier yoke design that keeps the rolls more stable under load, explains Sof- fritti. This enables more efficient power transfer through the frame and to the workpiece. Also, the frame of the machines has been redesigned to bet- ter-integrate the base of the frame, “and better transfer stresses during forming to minimize deflection,” he adds. The result is a 10-percent increase in material-thickness capacity with no increase in tonnage, or purchase price.
MAV rolls cover the material-thick- ness range of 1 to 12 in. A self-aligning and tilting top-roll housing (compared with a conventional rigid housing) tilts the top roll more than 4 in., allowing fabricators to quickly and accurately form large angles on heavy cones. And, explains Soffritti, the machine is designed so that cylinders pull down the top roll to press it down onto the workpiece, rather than push the roll into the plate. This design avoids phys- ical deflections or mechanical back- lash of the frame, optimizing accuracy, says Soffritti.
The newly upgraded MCB lineup of four-roll machines features 12 models with material-thickness capacity from 1⁄4 to 12 in. Unique features of these machines, says Soffritti, include the patented Servo-Tronic synchronized roll-parallel control system; and plan- etary swing-guide technology, for prebending, that wraps the side rolls toward the center of the machine’s top roll. Compared to more conventional inclined linear guides, the swing guide enables forming of cylinders with tighter radii.
Last but not least, Soffritti and Rossi showed us the new Davi mobile-device app, called iRoll+. An extension of its powerful iRoll control, launched in 2012, the app “brings the latest research on rolling accuracy to tablets and smart phone,” says Soffritti. “Users can simu- late applications to perform feasibility analyses, and also can develop roll- position programming for specific jobs.”
“Programming large plate rolls can be a very challenging and laborious
Essequattro SPA laser-cuts primari- ly stainless-steel and brass sheet- metal into works of art. It operates its CY cutting machine over two shifts, and can run lights-out if nec- essary. To do so, Zoppelletto employs a special control-panel extension that resides on his laptop computer and smart phone. A closed-circuit camera mounted to the cutting machine allows Zoppelletto to mon- itor lights-out production.
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MetalForming/November 2015 37
process,” adds Rossi. “From a controls and software perspective, we’ve focused efforts on providing operators and pro- grammers with new tools to minimize programming time. We’ve developed, for example, templates that help guide programmers through machine setup based on material properties and the size and shape of the part. We’ve added drop-down menus and graphical dis- play of roll motion during forming, along with real-time display of roll forces. All of these developments enable the operator to develop the entire rolling process and generate the part program, which then he can quick- ly optimize as needed based on actual workpiece-material properties and save to the CNC.”
Inhouse Laser Cutting has Fabricator Organizing its Shop, not its Supply Chain
Last stop: CY Laser and its fab-shop customer that fabricates highly cos- metic and custom sheetmetal parts for store fixtures and displays. Customers of the fabricator, named Essequattro (in a suburb of Vicenza), represent a who’s- who of high-end store brands, including Giorgio Armani and Prada. Essequattro
acquired a CY 2-kW laser-cutting machine, 6 by 12 ft., earlier this year to bring laser cutting inhouse. “In this way,” says production manager Giulio Zoppelletto, “we can focus our energy on organizing our shop and production schedule to meet just-in-time requirements of our customers, rather than on trying to organize our supply chain, which com- prised five suppliers of laser-cut parts.”
Before our visit to Essequattro, Andy and I spent time at CY’s fiber-laser- system production facilities in the city of Schio, including a sneak-peek at its new 5000-sq.-m assembly plant that is more than twice the size of its current assembly plant. We also paid a visit to a local machine shop that serves as one of CY’s primary suppliers of cut- ting-head parts.
“We’re introducing two new cutting heads later this year and in 2016,” says general manager (and son of the com- pany’s founder) Federico Campana. “In 2010 we launched our fourth-genera- tion cutting head for flat-sheet cutting, which featured technology developed to optimize consumable life by isolating the optics from cutting dust and debris. The next-generation head (the Evo I) is more compact and weighs 3 kg less,