Page 27 - MetalForming-Nov-2018-issue

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Holdings Co., acquired Wisconsin-based metal-cutting-machine manufacturer Marvel Manufacturing, Inc., renaming it Amada Marvel, Inc. Known for its ver- tical-tilt-frame bandsaws, Amada announced plans to develop special blades for the saws. Further, last year the company debuted the HPSAW-310 HyperSaw band saw and its dedicated Axcela HP carbide-tipped blades. These moves come as Amada Holdings officials note the rise in demand for carbide- tipped blades due to the increased use of difficult-to-cut materials, especially in the aerospace industry.
The Odawara Castle, dating from the 1400s, preserves Japan’s Edo past and shogunate era. Meanwhile, a video wall at the Amada Museum, on the company’s Isehara campus, explores the future of the company and its role in manu- facturing and society.
Further, the company recently announced its expansion into non- metal processing via the purchase of Sanwa Daiya Kouhan Corp., making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Amada Machine Tools. The new subsidiary offers precision cutoff technology materials such as fine ceramics, silica glass and special carbon, and also man- ufactures diamond blades and related bandsaw machines.
Fiber-Laser Machine with Advanced Beam Control
Okamoto, chairman & CEO, and Tsu- tomu Isobe, president, provided details on how Amada plans to leverage new technology offerings, especially in North America. They singled out Seat- tle, WA, as a partner in helping the company develop its signature laser- cutting equipment back in 1981, and stated a genuine appreciation of the U.S. market.
By 2020, the company plans to grow North American sheetmetal business substantially. This includes enhancing its share of laser business and begin- ning to manufacture press-brake tools in the U.S. Northeast; expand its share of fiber-laser and press-brake machines through manufacturing and acquisi- tions in the Southeast; and expanding production capacity of fiber-laser machines and related products to ensure the largest share of the market in the Southwest.
Our tour of the Amada Solutions Center, at the company’s headquarters location, provided a close look and demonstration of new sheetmetal-pro- cessing equipment utilizing Amada’s advanced beam-control technology. This includes the Ensis-3015AJ (9-kW/ 6-kW ) fiber-laser machine, which pro- vides high-speed stable cutting in materials to 25 mm thick at 2.4 times the speed of the company’s traditional fiber laser machine.
(We also saw the Ensis-3015RI, which can cut sheet, pipe and struc- tural steels—thanks to a rotary-index mechanism.)
Through evolution of its beam-con- trol technology, Amada Ensis machines allow creation of an optimum beam
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In a press conference,
Mitsuo
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